The Day the Universes Collided
by Digi-Dolphin
Summary: CH30! Sorry for the loooong delay...again! The time has come to face down the one being who started this whole messy adventure. Does Waker have what it takes to face down a being of super power when his friends have already given in to it?
1. Letter to the Readers

Dear Readers,

  


Through the Eyes of the Weary Warrior is back online. You can look for it at zeldalegends.net, with minor revisions. 

  


What happened in that room with Tetra and Waker isn't what you think it is, but I'm not telling what happened until later on. It's a surprise...^^.

  


A bit of an update for my readers. Um, I'm not sure how to say this but here goes. For the duration of this story, I had been writing according to my notes that I had written prior to the fic. Each of the chapters had a page of notes to let me know how things should go in order and what happens next. Now comes the tricky part.

  


I'm out of notes.

  


So, the next few chapters are going to be total surprises for both you, my readers, and me, the writer! If a chapter gets delayed for a while, it's just 'cause I'm not sure what's going to happen next and need time to figure it out. However, I'm really happy that everyone who's been reading this has been liking it so far. Next to Weary Warrior, I think this fic is one of my best so far!

  


As soon as I get done with this story, I'm going to bring out my classic fics from when I was younger. Shadow the Hedgehog will star in one and I found my group of Nights Into Dreams fics. On top of that, I'm going to scrap my old GigaGirl project and bring in my twists on the Battle Network series for Megaman. Wait till you see Zero.EXE done my way, he's so cute and peppy! (He acts like a kid 'cause he is one! Yay! ^-^)

  


So, see you all next time, fellow FanFic Authors and happy readers!

  


Digi-Dolphin Out!

  


PS. The Link that was pissed off about being dumped by Zelda is actually mine. I once wrote a fic about him being in a dungeon called Moblin's Keep and that's what had happened at the end of the story. Not very happy, but it was one of my early works. ^^ 'K, bye!


	2. Hyrule

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter One

Hyrule Castle Town

Hyrule Kingdom

Time: 1400 hours

Link studied the menu of the restaurant carefully. His funds had grown low recently due to taxes and he hadn't found any Poes to sell. His job as assistant salesman at the Happy Mask Shop wasn't paying as much as it used to and the economy was suffering from a recent drought.

"When did plain bread and milk cost 100 rupees?" Link muttered to himself as a waitress glided his way for his order. "Are you sure there's nothing that's less than 100 rupees in this whole place?" he asked in frustration.

"Sorry, but we're barely making ends meet as it is." the girl replied, "Need more time?" Link sighed and drummed his fingers on the table, resting his cheek on his fist as he gazed out the window at the Temple of Time.

"I'll take the bread and milk." he finally answered and passed the menu back to the girl. He leaned back as she left and sighed. "Hero of Time forced to eat bread and milk at outrageous prices while tax collectors attack his house to get their share of money...Goddesses, is nothing sacred anymore?" he wondered aloud and closed his eyes. At the age of twenty, Link's money problems could easily be solved by simply marrying the wealthiest girl he could find. But that was never his style. Besides, he could find rupees much more easily by just shooting Bubbles and LikeLikes with Light Arrows.

Unfortunately, those monsters were lying low, recognizing that an economic depression would bring a desperate Link that much more quickly to their haunts. Darunia's son, Prince Link, tried his best to help by sending him various small gems he found in the mountains, but more often than not they would sell for less than their true value.

"I might even have to get another job." Link groaned as he thought of the two he already had. Part-time salesman, part-time ranch hand at Lon Lon Ranch, not to mention full-time hero, his life was chaotic enough as it is. He had tried his hand at various small jobs, but the state of the kingdom soon had him out the door. The only thing that was fairly steady at bringing him an income was his collection of Deku dolls. Link handcrafted small toys and dolls out of Deku wood and sticks, then sold them at the market. People looking for unusual trinkets and gifts were his better customers.

"Here you are!" the waitress exclaimed cheerfully as she set a plate of bread and a mug of fresh milk down in front of him. Link set down a pair of violet jewels, two fifty-rupee pieces, and thanked her. The girl scooped them up and delivered them to the manager of the restaurant. Ignoring the fact that those were his last purple rupees, Link set to eating and thought about what he should do next. Finishing his meal in a few minutes, he sighed and nodded. No doubt about it, he was just going to have to get himself another job.

"Time to wander the streets again." he muttered as he downed the last of the milk, picked up his pack and headed out of the pub, whistling as cheerfully as he could while strolling down the cobblestone streets, eyes wandering about in search of signs of work.

****

In a whole different world, a young man studied his screens and readings and cocked his head. There was something obviously very wrong going on, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. He adjusted dials, pressed strange keys and tapped on a few of the screens to try to straighten out the unusual readings, but it was still there. The man leaned back and glared at the thousands of monitors that lined the walls.

"Great. I leave for just one millennia and this happens." he grumbled and got to his feet, leaving the comfort of his chair to pace in front of the millions of screens, each displaying images of various other worlds, the focal point of each one being of a figure dressed in green. "I go on a single break and somebody decides to screw things up. Now, which ones are this guy messing with?" he muttered and stopped at one screen. "Hello! Hyrule in an economic depression? That's not right. King Harkinian maintains fair taxes and these readings show he just increased them by...20 percent?! Oh yeah, somebody's been messing with my charges' worlds all right."

The man ran to his desk and began typing away at a strange computer. A printer came to life and began pouring out sheets of readings, names, codes and calculations. Every few moments, he would glance up at the screens, look around, then resume typing.

"I think I know who's doing this. I'd better find out what other heroes' worlds he's been tampering with so I can put together the appropriate team to stop him. Geez, I hate my job sometimes!" he raved angrily as his fingers flew over the keyboard.


	3. Gallera

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Two

Outer Inn

Gallera

Time: 1430 hours

"Welcome to the Outer Inn!" Link said cheerfully as a pair of tourists entered the hotel, luggage in hands. They grinned at him and set the bags down. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yeah, Oakleys." the man replied as he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief. Link tapped at his keyboard and nodded.

"Okay, you have the single bed for one week, correct?" he asked and when he got a nod, he deftly plucked a set of keys from the board behind him. "Here you are. Room 15 on the second floor, meals are served in the downstairs dining room. Would you like help with your luggage?" he asked. The Oakleys nodded with weak smiles. "Linda! Lerou! Customers!" Link shouted down another hallway.

"Dad! I'm killing the boss!" a boy's voice whined. Link rolled his eyes. "I know you just rolled your eyes at me, Dad! Just gimme a minute!"

"Put the game on pause! Linda! Hurry it up!" he shouted back and, in a few moments, a teenage girl with blonde hair and green eyes walked into the lobby, followed by her younger brother, also blonde with blue eyes. Both were wearing shirts and jeans, Tommy Hilfiger tags marking them as fashionable clothes. "Take this luggage upstairs to number 15, okay?"

"Sure." Linda replied and grabbed a pair of suitcases, "I get paid for this after all." Lerou pouted as he followed his sister, lugging the rest of the bags along. Link watched them leave, then smiled as his wife entered the room with a grin.

"Hey, Leslie, how's it going?" Link asked. Leslie waved her hand and shrugged.

"So far, so good. We're starting to fill all the rooms and the annual City Parade is the cause of our good business." she replied.

"How are the Tiger's Claw pirates?" Link asked as he came around the counter to kiss her on the cheek. Leslie grinned and looked at him coyly.

"Why, Mr. Elfin!" she teased, "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about the stink bombs you threw at them last week!" Link shrugged and laughed. "They've all gotten over it, but only because they know you can take out the best of them. Regime is keeping them all in good order and business has been good. They've gotten some really good pay out of a contract they got with Skinner Corporation."

"Who'd dare attack cargo ships when the Tiger's Claw pirates are there to protect it?" Link asked as the phone rang. "Hold on, Honey." He grabbed it and answered the call, "Welcome to the Outer Inn, Link Elfin speaking. How may I help you?" he rattled off automatically. After a few moments, his face grew serious. "You're kidding. How the hell did that happen?" he growled. More chatter on the other end. "They're what? No way. Fine, I'll check it out." He hung up and turned to Leslie. "Les, bad news. I have to go. Can you cover for me?" he asked.

"Link, I ran the counter long before I met you." Leslie replied, "What's going on?"

"That was the police. Chief Roku reported that the Skulltulas in Skulltula Mansion are starting to get organized for an invasion." Link replied as he headed for the garage.

"Organized?! But they're just mindless spiders!" Leslie exclaimed, following him as he hit a button on his wristwatch and was engulfed in a bright light. In a moment, he changed from dress shirt and slacks to a green tunic and underalls, a shield and sword on his back.

"I know. That's what stumped me. So they're calling in the Cataclysm Unit to investigate." Link replied as he swung a leg over his motorcycle, a sleek black Futuro, "Glitter! Let's get to it!" A pink fairy flew in from within the building and zipped under his hat. Leslie watched him rev up and speed away down the street towards the spider filled mansion.

"But you are the Cataclysm Unit." she murmured and sighed, returning to the counter.

The man looked up at the sound of a beep and cursed under his breath. Another anomaly. And he had yet to pinpoint the source of the interference. He banged the keyboard, then resumed typing furiously.

"Another one?! Great, this one's in Gallera. Skulltulas with intelligence? This Link has only gone up against two intelligent Skulltulas and both of them nearly killed him. Now he's gotta deal with an army of them? I am so gonna kill the freak who's doing this to my cases." the Watcher growled and scanned the papers. "All right, I'm getting closer. How many more anomalies can possibly happen?" Another beep and the man shrieked in a fury. "All right! So I'll learn to keep my damn mouth shut!" he yelled to no one.


	4. Nintendo  PreCataclysm

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Three

Employee Cafeteria

Nintendo Home Base

Time: 1500 hours

Allstar N64 Link tapped the buttons furiously, making strange noises under his breath as Dark Allstar N64 Dark Link watched him, chewing his burger slowly. Link suddenly jerked, laughed lightly and resumed tapping buttons again. WindWaker Link was doing the same on his own Game Boy Advance, large eyes focused intently on the images on the screen.

"How long you been at that game?" Dark Link finally asked his twin brother. Link glanced up at him before resuming hitting the A button.

"Can't remember. Come on! Die! No! Waker, you're supposed to hit the one on the bottom!" he replied and tapped again.

"Sorry! Eeks! I need a fairy! Fairy!" WindWaker Link cried and maneuvered his character to the grass at the edges of the screen.

"Link, you and the little dude have been at that _Four Swords_ game for the past two hours. Can't you give it a break?" Dark Link asked as he swiped a few of Link's fries.

"I just need one more medallion and then I can go back to _Link to the Past_ and learn the Hurricane Blade." Link replied, "And stop stealing my fries!"

"You really should quit and save. When are we going to go pick up your car?" Dark Link continued as he stole a few more fries. Link paused and glared at him. "Hey, you were the one who got those speeding tickets and wound up getting it impounded." Dark Link told him, raising his hands in defense, "I told you to slow down in Center City!"

"Speed limits are for wimps." Link grumbled as he restarted the game, "Agh! I died! You should have warned me he was gonna shoot at me!" WindWaker Link shrugged as the little sprite was revived in the game.

"You shouldn't have paused then. Anyways, you're the one who got me killed in the Dragon Roost Cavern." he replied haughtily.

"How was I to know that you were supposed to Grapple the dragon's tail?!"

"It's right there in the Player's Guide! Miyamoto's sakes, don't you read that thing?!"

"No."

"Well there you are then!"

"Link! Can we go now?!" Dark Link snapped, "I'm late for an appointment with King Bowser already!" Link sighed and shut off the Game Boy, stuffing it into his back pocket.

"Fine. But, man, I was so close to getting the Hero's Key! If I hadn't died, we'd have had enough." he sighed. "Anyways, Mario wants me to get ready for _Soul Caliber II_ so I might as well meet with the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl down at Bally Fitness for another round of exercise." WindWaker Link collected the cable and ran off to challenge GC Sonic to a Pokémon battle. "Hey, how's Ganondorf doing?" Link suddenly asked as he and his twin walked down to the garage to Dark Link's car. "I heard he broke his leg last week near the edge of Microsoft Fortress. Another attack from the Nintendo Hunters?"

"He's healing." Dark Link sighed, "But I am starting to really get weirded out lately. I've been having these visions of a lot of Links in one place, trying to take on a being of incredible power. And why are there Hunters to begin with? Didn't Aftermath Link wipe them all out?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, come to think of it. And, Bro, that's what we're doing now. All the Links in Nintendo tried to take on X Spirit and we got our butts kicked." he pointed out.

"I told you guys to leave it to Nin and Tendo. The Twins are the only ones powerful enough to take on an Entity. But, the vision I had was of totally different Links, each from their own world."

"FanFic Links?"

"Shigeru Miyamoto, Link! I'm not talking about FanFics! I mean whole other universes! Links that aren't the products of the imaginations of Programmers and Players!" Dark Link griped as he and his twin got in the Jaguar and drove out of the base to the city.

"As long as Cd-I Link isn't one of them." Link replied as he reached for the radio.

"Link, please, I just ate."

The man banged his head against his desktop as the papers continued pouring out. Now this one was getting visions and the local bad guys were starting to act up more than usual. It was definitely the work of his greatest rival. He looked up at the screens and frowned.

"Quinta, what are you doing?!" he hissed.


	5. Nintendo PostCataclysm

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Four

Nintendo Home Space

Game Realm

Time: 1530 hours

"Red alert! Red alert!" Allstar N64 Link shouted as the ship rocked under the attack, "Get the shields up! Zelda! Ganondorf! Prepare for retaliation!" The crew aboard the _Queen of Hyrule_ scrambled to get in place for a return attack as the ship was pelted with laser fire. They had been sailing through space on the way to the Planet of Powers when they were suddenly set upon by a fleet of X Warships and Nintendo Captor Cruisers.

"We're down to 75 percent on the shields! They're shooting something weird at us and it's taking down our shielding energy like nothing!" Mido declared over the bombardment. Advance Veran held her head in her hands and risked a peek at her scanners.

"The fleet has surrounded us!" she declared in shock, "And the _Gates Crusher_ is there! X and Baux are leading the attack!" The crew began to chatter in terror.

"Oh no! We've been captured by the X Twins!"

"The Entities of Xbox are going to kill us!"

"We're going to die!"

"Miyamoto help us!"

"Stop that!" Link snapped and looked back at his elders, the NES Link and SNES Link, "We're going to have to call him. He's the only one who can take them down." he whispered. The elves nodded and ran to the nearest console, sending out a distress signal.

The Zelda characters prayed fiercely and then cheered as they saw the viewscreen flash to show the image of a Link glaring at them. This Link was unusually somber and grim looking, with three scars marring his once perfect face and dressed in black armor with a red cape.

"This is Elle Maverick of the _Elfin Phoenix responding to a distress call. What is your problem?" the former Link replied._

"Advance Link, we're under attack by the X Fleet and...." Link started to say but Elle fumed.

"How many times must I tell you to never call me by that name?!" he snapped, "I am not a part of Nintendo anymore! I don't have any stupid games to star in, I don't have any ties to you weaklings! I only protect you because you can't do it yourselves!" With that, the viewscreen vanished to show the fleet surrounding the ship. Suddenly, two of the warships exploded as a tiny fighter zipped around, firing missiles and lasers, barely distinguishable due to its solid black coloring with the single green phoenix stretched along its length.

"Elle! The _Gates Crusher_ is out there! Be careful!" Link called out.

"Dammit, Allstars! You should have said something sooner! Contact Nin, Tendo, and Sega! Get them out here! Only Entities can battle Entities!" the young captain snapped as he took down another squad of ships.

_"No need for the call! We're here already!"_ Nin's voice called out. The characters aboard the _Queen of Hyrule looked out their portholes at the distance. Three children flew through space towards them and stopped in front of the ship. Nin was the older of the Legendary Twins, her golden hair tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon and emerald green eyes glaring out at the ships attacking. Dressed in a red shirt, pink skirt, pink socks and cape, and red slippers, the first Twin was known as the Gentle Hand for her gentle and caring nature...until angered, that is._

_"Let's show them why Nintendo's the best! They won't dare try another attack as long as we stay strong!"_ Tendo declared, floating next to his sister. The Fierce Hand excelled in battle and loved to fight. Dressed in a dark blue shirt with matching socks, blue shorts and shoes and cape, he glared out at the leading ship with deep brown eyes that matched his short hair.

_"Don't forget your greatest ally! Sega Sprite's the name and software's the game! I let you guys take some of my games and this is how you repay me?! By trying to destroy the one system I gave my very best children too?! You're just asking for a whuppin'!"_ Sega shouted, hovering next to Tendo. With short, spiky blue hair and blue eyes, she looked like her hairstyle was based off of Sonic's design. Dressed in a white shirt, torn jeans, hiking boots and a Walkman strapped to her hip with the headphones slung around her neck, she looked like a punk fairy, chewing bubble gum and flitting her wings as the antennae on her head bobbed slightly.

"Stop your babbling and fire on them already!" Elle griped as he darted among the ships, firing constantly. Sega nodded and flew forward, a ball of energy in her hands.

_"Sega's Last Stand!"_ she cried and whirled around, throwing the ball so it formed a blade of cool blue energy that sliced through four warships.

_"Tendo Thunderstorm!"_ Tendo screamed as he threw his hands out at another squadron, pelting them with thousands of lightning bolts.

_"Nin-penetrable!"_ Nin cried, casting an impenetrable shield around the _Queen of Hyrule_ to protect it from further attacks. Elle flew past and opened fire on the _Gates Crusher_, trying to lure it away from the group.

_"Pathetic fool. You think to take on the greatest Entities the Realm has ever known?!"_ X and Baux, evil versions of the Nintendo Twins, purred darkly.

"Take out the _Gates Crusher_! Hurry!" Elle shouted as the lasers began to be trained on him. He flitted and evaded to the best of his abilities, refusing to allow himself to be hit. Nin and Tendo nodded at each other and flew up to the ship, hand in hand.

_"Nintendo's Wrath!"_ they screamed together, unleashing a wall of energy that plowed through the fleet, destroying everything in its path. Sega tumbled through space and straightened, looking up in horror as the _Elfin Phoenix_ was struck on the wing and sent spiraling through space.

_"Tendo! Maverick!"_ she screamed and the Twins looked back in shock. What had they done? And to one of their own children!

"Advance Link!" Allstar Link screamed from within the ship, watching in terror as the fighter vanished from his view.

"Argh! Another one! The Nintendo Twins have never used the spell Nintendo's Wrath since the destruction they caused on the original Game Realm!" the Watcher growled, "Quinta's interference made them use it and cost them the hero of that timeline!" He clenched his fists and glared up at the screens. "Knowing Quinta, she's going to strike one more time. Which timeline will it be?!" he grumbled as he studied the various timelines.


	6. New Hyrule

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Five

Port Town

New Hyrule

Time: 1600 hours

Link conducted the Wind's Requiem, bringing a soft breeze from the west to turn the windmill on his farm and grind the latest batch of wheat he had grown. Wiping his forehead with an arm, the Wind Waker still in his hand, he looked out at his patch of land with pride. It took years to find a big enough island to recreate Hyrule and more and more people where sailing in to set up residence in the many towns there. Zelda ruled the kingdom fairly, and often went out traveling under her old name of Tetra so she could get first hand interviews from her subjects. With more people moving in, more food was need and Link took it upon himself to travel from town to town, bringing wind and rain to the fields so crops could grow healthily. Wind Waker in one hand, Ocarina of Time in the other, the Hero of Winds and Time was fast becoming a welcome sight in any town that was having a drought or famine.

"BOOOOY!" Aryll's voice called out from the house and Link sighed. His sister called him that whenever she got annoyed with him.

"In the field, Aryll!" Link called back as he trekked to the house. Aryll had grown to be a lovely young girl, still followed by seagulls and other birds wherever she went. She stood on the porch of their house, tapping her foot.

"Link, Makar's here." she told him and pointed at the Korok perched on the banister of the stairs. "He said that the other Koroks are going to try to change back in Kokiri and want you there as a witness." Link smiled.

"Really? Makar, that's wonderful!" he exclaimed to the Wind Sage, "Hero would have been so happy to see that happen."

"Yeah, and the town of Mido also sent word when I stopped there that they could use some rains." Makar replied and flew up to land on his head. "So let's go! It's gonna be a party once the Kokiri are back!"

"All right, Makar. Let's see, the Lost Woods and Korok Forest would be the Melody of Forest. Not to be confused with the Minuet of Forest because I don't want to get dumped into the Forbidden Woods or the middle of the sea by accident." Link remarked as he brought out the Ocarina of Time. He played a sweet tune and vanished in a flurry of green lights. Aryll watched him leave and looked at the distance.

"Funny, but it looks like there's a storm brewing over there." she remarked and went on her way to town.

Link and Makar landed in the Lost Woods and immediately were thrown backwards by the storm winds. Makar gripped Link's tunic tightly and looked around in shock. Link struggled to sit up and put the Ocarina of Time away, fumbling for the Wind Waker.

"Link! There's something wrong!" Makar yelled out as the winds blew even more fiercely. Link stood and moved the wand, trying to gain control of the storm. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm trying to calm the winds down!" Link called back, "The Storm King's Bolero was created for this kind of thing!" He conducted as best he could while the winds raged on. "They won't listen to me!"

"Link, I don't think this is a normal storm! You've never had trouble controlling the winds before, Wind Waker!" Makar cried.

"Cyclos! Zephos! Can you hear me?! Help me stop this storm before it uproots the forest!" Link called, jumping up and clacking his heels to activate the Iron Boots to keep him firmly planet on the ground. The two gods circled the storm, trying to blow away some of the more dangerous clouds and winds, but it only grew stronger and fiercer, rushing past Link so fast it stole his breath.

"We've got to take cover!" Makar exclaimed as he held on tighter, eyes shut.

"Ma-Makar!" Link gasped, turning his head aside to try to breathe, "T-take c-cover! Get to the f-forest!" The Iron Boots were slowly being lifted off the ground. Makar reached out to grab his leaves to fly and was snatched away by the winds. "MAKAR! NOOO!" Link screamed as he saw the Sage get whisked away and thrown into the Lost Woods. Gripping the Wind Waker in his hand, he tried to raise it again for a repeat of the Storm King's Bolero, but the winds pressed harder on him and the Iron Boots failed at last. Link was torn from the ground, lifted high above the land as he held onto the Wind Waker with all his strength, fighting to breathe.

"There!" the Watcher declared as the screen beeped. He stood and glared at the five heroes who were experiencing troubles they shouldn't have. "Well, now I know which ones she went for. All that's left is to figure out why she's doing it and get those heroes here to stop her." With that, the Watcher headed for an open area in his world and concentrated.

_"Heroes of the worlds I see, bring them through the threads to me. Seek their hearts, their souls and power, let them unite in this darkest hour!"_ he intoned and opened his eyes wide, glowing a bright light as the fabrics of time and space were parted for this fateful meeting....


	7. The Heroes Meet

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Six

Zero Dimension

Time: 1630 hours

Link walked into a wall and banged his nose. Jumping back tearfully, he put a hand to it and blinked rapidly. "Ow! What was that?! Who put that wall in the middle of the street?!" he exclaimed and looked around him, "Hey, this isn't Hyrule! Where am I?!"

A bright flash brought forth a Link covered in spider webs. He dropped onto the floor and writhed before freeing himself. He pulled threads of webbing from his hair and spit a little of it out of his mouth. "I hate my job. Man! I should get hazard pay from the police force for this!" he griped and looked up at the Hyrulian Link. "Oh, hell, another me."

Another flash resulted in a car being parked in the room, two Links blinking out at the two other ones in surprise. The doors opened and they stepped out. Dark Link looked around, then glared at his brother. "Okay, Bro. What turn did you take this time?"

"Same one I always do!" Allstar Link protested as Dark Link waved a fist threateningly at him.

"I told you to take the I-10 cutoff! Why don't you ever listen to me?! Gah, I should never have swapped seats with you!" he snapped as the Hyrulian Link shrieked in a fury and raced at him with the Gilded Sword.

"Die, Dark Link!" he yelled and the dark elf jumped aside with a cry.

"Whoa! Link! This look-alike's trying to kill me!" he shouted as Link vaulted over the car and defended him with the Master Sword as the Hyrulian Link came around for another try.

"Hey, you! Knock it off! Leave my brother alone!" he snapped and blinked as the other Link paused in shock.

"Your...brother?!" he echoed in surprise. "But, he's an evil version of me!"

"_Pbbt!_" Dark Link muttered, "That's just the video game! I'm not evil! I'm an actor! I get paid to sword-fight with my twin!"

"Video game?"

Allstar Link put his sword away as the Hyrulian Link scratched his head. "Yep, _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ and _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest_. Don't you read Nintendo Power?" he answered. Hyrulian Link shook his head. "Here. Enjoy." Allstar Link remarked as he grabbed a copy from the car and handed it to him. Hyrulian Link flipped the pages, blinking at the pictures and words, then packed it away. "So where are we?"

Another flash and Elle Maverick stepped in, scowling at the group. "I don't like this one bit." he growled and studied the Links around him. "Not one bit." A final flash of light dumped the future Hyrulian Link onto the floor.

"Ow. Stupid storm." he grumbled and got up, looking around, "What the?! There's a lot of Heroes! But the stories said only one Hero saved the kingdom and vanished!" he exclaimed.

"Okay, I'm getting pissed off the longer I'm without an explanation." Gallera Link growled, "Either somebody tells me what the hell's going on, or everyone's arrested for kidnapping a Cataclysm officer!"

"That won't be necessary." the Watcher remarked as he stepped in to study his team. The Links looked at him and blinked. The Watcher looked like them! A Link with platinum colored hair and silver robes, surrounded by a faint white aura.

"We're dead, right?" Gallera Link muttered, "I got killed by those damn Skulltulas in the mansion, right?"

"You're not dead." the Watcher replied, "I brought you all here because your worlds have been sabotaged. You are going to have to fix them." He walked over to the Hyrulian Link. "Link, your world has the King going mad. Soon, he will insist that you and Zelda be killed as traitors, thus destroying your timeline." Link blinked and looked horrified. Watcher turned to the Gallera Link. "The Skulltulas have gained intelligence. Had you pursued the investigation, you would have been killed and nothing would stop their invasion. Your city would be cursed in a matter of hours." Gallera Link curled a lip and leaned against a wall, glaring at him. Watcher looked at the Allstar Twins. "Link, on the way to getting your car, you and your twin would have been ambushed by a Nintendo Hunter, an assassin that was supposed to no longer exist. The two of you would have been killed and the Super Link transformation would have been lost forever."

"Hey, that's classified information!" Allstar Link snapped, "How did you get into Nintendo's database to get that info?!" The Watcher ignored him and looked at Maverick.

"The Nintendo Twins are using spells they swore they'd never use, and will eventually bring about their own destruction. You should have died in that battle, but I managed to save you." he told him. Maverick snorted.

"Should have let me die." he hissed coldly, "My life is nothing but war and death and destruction."

"Wind Waker, Hero of Winds and Time." the Watcher turned to the last Link, "The storm you were in was caused by a curse in your world. It will destroy New Hyrule. It would have killed you, too, had I not interfered."

"Wait, I'm the Hero of Time!" Hyrulian Link exclaimed, "And what's this about New Hyrule?!"

"You're all from different worlds and times." the Watcher explained, "My name is Zero Damagaus and I'm in charge of watching over you all from this, the Zero Dimension. My rival, Quinta, has sabotaged your worlds and you must repair them or your worlds will be destroyed forever."

"Why us? Why can't you fix them?" Dark Link asked, "I knew my visions were right!"

"If I add my power to whatever is already there, I may do more harm than good. Each world has a figurine, a toy, rather, that is causing the disturbance. You have to find it and destroy it." Zero replied.

"Wreck a Barbie doll? That's it?" Gallera Link retorted, "That's not so hard."

"On the contrary. Each doll has a weakness that can be exploited by one of you heroes. It may not be by the hero of that time and world so another one has to destroy it." Zero corrected.

"Which means what?" Allstar Link asked. Zero sighed and shrugged helplessly.

"All of you will have to go into each other's worlds together." he answered. The Links all looked at each other in shock and disbelief. Dark Link folded his arms on his chest and frowned.

"They're not all fitting in my Jaguar." he growled.


	8. Can I Be Red Leader?

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Seven

Zero Dimension

Time: 1645 hours

"I don't like this." Gallera Link muttered as the Links sat in a circle not far from Zero. "Going to other worlds? Destroying dolls and facing off against an omnipotent being? I don't like it one bit."

"We don't have much choice. He's gotta be on the level. He's a Link and Links don't lie." Allstar Link remarked. Dark Link elbowed him.

"What about the time you faked the flu so Zelda wouldn't drag you to the mall?" he pointed out with a grin.

"That doesn't count. I did it for self-preservation. I'm on my last Visa and she's not maxing it out this time." his brother grumbled.

"We should find a way to distinguish ourselves. We can get confused really fast if we yell for Link and all of us turn our heads." Hyrulian Link pointed out.

"I won't. Link isn't my name anymore. Just call me Mav." Maverick replied coolly.

"And I'll stay as Dark Link." the dark elf added helpfully, "Since you were the first to arrive, Link of Hyrule, you should keep the name Link." Link nodded and smiled gratefully.

"My full name is Link Elfin. Agent Link Elfin of the Cataclysm Unit and this is my partner, Glitter." Gallera Link jerked his thumb at the pink fairy sitting on his shoulder. "So you guys can just call me Elfin. My boss usually does. I double as a guitar player and singer in a small band for undercover work. Zelda is constantly threatening to pink slip me if I show up late to rehearsals." he remarked with a grin.

"I've got the title of Allstar N64 Link in my world, so just call me Allstar." the other Link tossed in. He looked at the Hero of Winds, who was looking at the Hero of Time with a sad expression. "I have the perfect nickname for you. In my world, the WindWaker Link is my junior. I trained him to take over for me for the GameCube generation of games. I call him 'Waker' for short. We can call you 'Waker', okay?"

"Sure." Waker murmured absently, gazing at Link.

"So, should we really go through with this? Do you all believe this guy?" Elfin asked. The other heroes nodded slowly. "Okay, then. Let's talk to him."

Zero looked at his team as they stood and faced him. They all had the same determined look. How odd and yet, appropriate.

"We're ready to go, Zero. Which world do we visit first?" Allstar announced. Zero grinned and held out a capsule about five inches long and a solid silver color.

"This is the Instant Dimensional Gap capsule. It's already set for all the worlds you'll have to visit. All you have to do is hold it up and everyone in contact with it or the person holding it will be transported to the next world." he explained and looked at them, "Um, which one of you won't lose this?"

"Give it to me. My world is probably the last we'll have to visit, so I can carry it in my Delivery Bag." Waker remarked and took the IDG, tucking it into the sack.

"The first world you'll get to is Old Hyrule, Link's world and time. The King is growing more insane each day and the doll responsible for it is somewhere in Hyrule. I'll send you data on its location as soon as I pinpoint it." Zero added.

"How?" Allstar remarked as Waker changed his mind and brought the capsule out again, holding it in one hand.

"Elfin has a laptop under that shield of his. And Mav has his Game Boy Advance SP Communicator, AKA the GBA SPC. I'll send the data to both computers." Zero pointed out and grinned. "Good luck, Heroes! The fates of your worlds rest on your shoulders!"

"Yeah, we know the drill." Allstar muttered as Waker lifted the IDG and everyone placed a hand on everyone else's shoulders, "Just like in rehearsal, only I don't get paid overtime for this."

Hyrule Fields

Hyrule Kingdom

Time: 1700 hours

In a brilliant flash of light, the group of heroes arrived in the middle of Hyrule Fields. Link looked around and sighed. Now his problem was finding a place for everyone to sleep if the quest took too long. He brought out the Ocarina of Time and played Epona's Song, summoning his faithful horse from Goddesses knew where. Dark Link pulled his hand away from his car and grinned. He had guessed right about the capsule, it took anything and everything his hand was touching.

"We should make a camp somewhere we won't be seen." Link told them and pointed to Lake Hylia's direction. "We can do that at Lake Hylia. I'd take you myself, but I don't think Epona can manage you all."

"Don't worry, I brought my car. We'll follow you in it." Dark Link pointed out and got in, followed by the other Links. Mav raised his left hand and closed his eyes. His fingertips turned black and the color spread down his arm to the rest of his body. In moments, he was a shadow of himself! He opened his eyes and they glowed a soft blue light, the scars angry red lines on his face.

"I'll fly, if it's all the same to you people." he remarked coldly and floated above the ground, "My shadow-mist mode will travel far more easily than horses and horsepower."

"That shadow arm of yours scares me sometimes." Allstar muttered as he rode shotgun. Link gaped at Mav for a moment, then shook his head and rode for Lake Hylia, the Jaguar following him carefully so as not to spook the horse.

The lake was clear and peaceful, and the heroes had a small tent pitched for camp. Allstar looked around as he sat by the fire. Dark Link sighed as he gazed at the lake.

"Reminds you of the Water Temple stage in the game, huh?" Allstar finally murmured. "Everything looks just like the game, only bigger."

"That's because this is the real Hyrule. There aren't polygon restrictions for the areas. You could get from one end of the field to the other in less than five minutes in the Nintendo 64 game. Here, it took us an hour. In a car!" Dark Link pointed out, "And the Dark Link of this world was really an evil creature."

"Yeah, and the Ganondorf here probably doesn't grow blue ribbon petunias in his backyard." Allstar muttered as he walked over to Elfin, "Anything?" The agent looked at his laptop and shook his head. "How about you, Mav?"

"No. The SPC would have alerted me to a downloaded message." the little elf replied.

"We probably can't do anything until tomorrow. We may as well rest for the night." Link sighed and headed for the tent.

"It's kind of warm for such a nice evening." Elfin remarked, tugging at his collar while Glitter drooped her wings. Link paused and looked back at them.

"I'd play the Song of Storms, but we'd get soaked." he said with a grin. Waker stood up and brushed himself off.

"I'll take care of it. All you need is a breeze, right?" With that, he brought out the Wind Waker and conducted a melody that summoned a cool bit of wind from the northeast. Link blinked at it.

"What's that?" he asked. Waker looked at him in surprise.

"You don't know? But Hero said he knew about the Wind Waker." he remarked, then paused sorrowfully. "Oh, that means, this time and world doesn't have it, so I won't exist in this world and you aren't the Hero who gave his soul to me." Link stared at him. "Never mind. Let's get some sleep." he sighed and lay back on the grass, resting his head on a log. Mav went to the car and sat against it, two Master Swords resting close to his body as he slept in a sitting position. Allstar stared at him, finally realizing that the boy had two Master Swords and was sleeping like a samurai.

"Wind is good. I'll roll down the car windows." Dark Link murmured and made himself comfortable in the car after doing so. Allstar joined him, cranking the passenger seat back a little and settling in. Elfin closed the laptop and followed them, stretching out in the backseat of the car and turning his back on them. Link watched them all and entered his tent, wondering if this was all just a dream.


	9. All Links Are Not Morning People

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Eight

Lake Hylia

Hyrule Kingdom

Time: 0600 hours

The radio blared suddenly and most of the heroes woke with a start. Mav only looked up at the car in irritation before getting up and stretching, then sliding the two swords into sheaths on his back. Dark Link reached out and slapped the radio button, yawning.

"Miyamoto, I forgot how loud it gets in the morning." he mumbled and got out of the car. Allstar followed him and helped Elfin get out. Link and Waker stared at them as if they were insane.

"What in Din's name was that?!" Link exclaimed. Dark Link shrugged.

"My radio has an alarm. I turned it on last night so we could get a fresh start nice and early." he replied as Allstar staggered up beside him with Elfin looking like a zombie.

"We need coffee." they droned, "We need it now."

"Um, maybe breakfast will do instead. But I don't have any money." Link sighed, "I'm broke." Dark Link blinked and looked thoughtful.

"You take rupees here, right?" he asked. Link nodded. "Bro, don't you have any Hylian currency left over from _Majora's Mask_?" he turned to his twin. Allstar yawned and nodded.

"Yeah, some Player tricked the N64 into storing over 5500 rupees. I withdrew it yesterday, but didn't get the chance to exchange it for Center currency." he answered, "Why do you ask?"

"Give it to Link."

"WHAT?! Hell no! I suffered for that money! Damn Player jammed me into a corner so the camera would get stuck in my face while I was wearing the Fierce Deity's Mask!" Allstar snapped back, fully awake at the prospect of losing money.

"Who gave you permission to curse? You're Rated E." Dark Link muttered.

"_Super Smash Brothers Melee_. It's rated T."

"Just give it to him. You can write it off on your taxes as a donation to charity." Dark Link muttered and watched Allstar grumble as he brought out the heavy sack of jewels. He held it out to his Hyrulian counterpart.

"Here. And pinch every rupee! You didn't go through what I did for this." he muttered. Link took the money and looked at him, wide-eyed.

"I...I had no idea you were so wealthy!" he stammered, "I can't accept this!"

"Sure you can. Link can just get more from the Players." Dark Link replied cheerfully, "They're the ones pouring cash into his banks when they play his games!"

"If you're done turning this place into a Goodwill station, you may want to see this." Mav muttered as he looked at the SPC, the silver system gleaming in the early light. The heroes looked at it as Elfin opened his laptop and pulled up a new file. "We got some info."

"Yeah, so did I." Elfin murmured, "The figurine for this world is in the throne room of Hyrule Castle. We have to go in and destroy it."

"Wonderful." Link muttered, "Any weaknesses?"

"Zero's working on it. He'll let us know once we get a scan of it." Elfin replied.

"How do we scan it if we don't have the equipment for that?" Allstar asked in confusion. Mav closed the SPC and frowned.

"My Game Boy is equipped to scan. I installed everything in this thing. With the SPC, I can even hack into Nintendo's Master Control and rewrite a character program." he said darkly.

"Ah, now don't start. Last time you did that, I almost died because you erased my Triforce of Courage and locked my program." Allstar griped, "And you got turned into Advance Dark Link, Silent Snake, The Prankster, Hyper Link, Earth Link, Doctor Link...need I say more?"

"Stay out of my life, Allstar." Mav hissed as he shoved the SPC into his pouch.

"Well, this is a load of bull." Elfin growled, "How the hell do we get into the castle? Link can probably get in any old time, but I don't think they'll extend the hospitality to a whole posse of Links!" Dark Link put a hand on Mav's shoulder.

"Our shadow modes can let us hide in the shadows of people. We can hide in Link's shadow and follow him in." he pointed out. Link nodded dubiously.

"Great for you, Bro. But what about the rest of us?" Allstar muttered, "Man, I can't think on an empty stomach! Isn't there a Denny's around here or something?"

"This is Hyrule, not Center City." Dark Link grumbled, "This isn't the set back at Nintendo-land, okay? Things work differently here." Allstar thought about that, tapping the end of his nose.

"Really? Let's find out. _Famicom Starlight!_" he declared with a grin and Dark Link stiffened, falling back onto the grass like a statue. "Well, whaddya know? Our codes still work."

"Mmph mph mmphrrrmph!" Dark Link growled, eyes burning red.

"_The black balloon sails alone._" Allstar remarked and Dark Link jumped up, glowering.

"What'd you do that for?!" he shrieked and paused in surprise. "Wait. Our shutdown and paralysis codes work? But they only do that if we're still connected to the Nintendo Power Core back at the base."

"Zero must have threads of us still in contact with our respective worlds. So we still get energy from the Power Core and Pearl." Mav murmured and looked out at the lake. "We should eat in the town first and then prepare for entering the castle. I have a plan on how to get you other Links inside, but you'll all need to use some of this world's Link's masks." He looked at the Hylian. "His magic masks." Link blinked in confusion as the Allstar, Elfin and Waker looked confused as well. Allstar suddenly blinked.

"You don't mean…?" he started and groaned, "But I _hate_ being Deku Link! I'm not doing it without proper incentive!" Mav whipped out a small gun and aimed it at his crotch.

"You maintain the ability to keep N64 Zelda happy. How's that?" he asked coolly. Allstar grinned sheepishly and held up his hands.

"Hey, no need for that, Mav! Uh, pass the mask and all that! Heh, heh!" he stammered, a sweat drop appearing over his head.


	10. Surya's Strike

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Nine

Hyrule Castle Town

Hyrule Kingdom

Time: 0700 hours

Allstar stared into Link's face, so close to him, their noses touched. The others sat around the table looking as if they wanted to be somewhere else. It had taken them time to get to the town after catching a ride with a very confused Malon as she made her milk delivery.

"No cheeseburgers?" Allstar whispered to the Hylian Link. He shook his head, eyes wide. Allstar sat back down and looked pained. "They've got no cheeseburgers, Bro. We've been punished!"

"Which is why Mario volunteered you for _Soul Caliber II_ and gave you a membership to Bally Fitness." Dark Link sighed as he drummed his fingers on the table, "You won't stop eating cheeseburgers!"

"I should have shot you both when I had the chance." Mav hissed as he stabbed at his slice of bread, "Now, you, Elfin and Waker must have the same genetic properties as the Hyrulian Link. Therefore, the magic masks that work for him must also work on you. Allstar, you will get the Zora Mask, if only to shut you up. Elfin will get the Goron Mask and Waker will take the Deku Mask." Waker raised his hand. "What, Boy?"

"Don't call me Boy! Only my sister can do that!" Waker snapped and then looked spaced out, "Um, what's a Deku? Is it like the Great Deku Tree? Do I get turned into a tree?"

"Gimme your Player's Guide." Dark Link muttered to his twin and spread out a book on the table, pointing at an image, "That's a Deku Scrub. The mask will turn you into that. See? Miyamoto, Link, you look like Pinocchio in that getup!" Allstar frowned at him and snatched back the guide.

"It was all Shigeru's idea!" he protested as Elfin grabbed it from him and flipped the pages, "At least I get to be the coolest one! Mikau!"

"Hey! You're turning me into a fat-ass?" Elfin cried as he spotted a Goron Link in the book, "Uh-uh. Scrap this, I ain't gaining no two tons of fat just to get in the castle."

"It's muscle. Not fat." Mav murmured over his mug of milk.

"I don't care. It's ugly and naked. I'm not doing it." Elfin dug his heels in on the subject. Link looked up at him pleadingly.

"Please wear it and come with me into the castle!" he begged, "I've got to free the King from this madness!"

"You make me sick." Mav spat in disgust, "You and your pretty boy faces and wimpy attitudes! I'm ashamed to say I was once the Link for _Oracle of Ages_ and _Seasons_!"

"That was also partly Shigeru's idea, too." Allstar pointed out and flinched as Mav slammed the mug down.

"That's beside the point! You want to save your worlds, put the masks on!" he declared and stormed out of the restaurant. They watched him leave in silence. Allstar sighed and got up.

"I'll talk to him. He was my trainee once." he murmured and followed him out. The others looked at each other, then at the guide, then at Elfin. He leaned back and folded his arms on his chest.

"I'm not turning into a fat-ass." he repeated.

****

"Mav?" Allstar called out as he spotted the captain watching a group of kids kicking a ball around in the market square. He glanced at him and sniffed disdainfully before turning back. "Okay, so we're not all tough like you. So what? We can still buckle down and get serious. We can take on the bad guys and save the world." Allstar chuckled and shrugged helplessly, "We're the Links. We're programmed for that from the start."

"What always pissed me off about Nintendo was they way they acted so damn innocent when trouble starts to brew." Mav growled, "So sure of its power, so sure of its security...until it all went to hell in a heartbeat."

"You're talking about First Day." Allstar guessed and closed his eyes in reverence to the name. Mav nodded.

"The day Nintendo died and my greatest mentors, the original Allstar N64 Link and Dark Link, were murdered before my very eyes, gunned down by Xbox's Nintendo Hunters." Mav whispered, "And for what? The Flipper. A lousy graphics processor chip. Technology for the GameCube."

"We were what?" Allstar asked in confusion and surprise, "But in my timeline, Dark Link and I never...." He would have said more but the other heroes suddenly rushed up to them.

"He said he'll do it!" Link exclaimed happily as Elfin walked up with a frown and a pair of sunglasses on.

"Any of you guys tell my wife about this and you are spending a week downtown, capice?" he growled over a toothpick stuck in his mouth, his hands shoved into some pockets sewn on his tunic.

*****

It was some time later that a guard at the castle looked down the gate and spotted Link and a group of his 'friends' walk up to it. The Hero of Time looked up and waved at him. The guard shrugged and opened the doors.

"Hoy, Link! Who are these friends of yours today?" he called down. Link looked back at the group and smiled uneasily.

"Here goes." he muttered and turned back to the guard, "These are my friends! Mikau the Zora, Darmani the Goron, Waker the Deku and Prankster! We're here to visit Zelda and the King!"

"Zelda's out in the garden and Harkinian is dining right now. You can wait in the courtyard with the Princess!" the guard replied and waved them through. The band of heroes went in, Maverick using his Prankster mode's robe and hood to hide his face.

"So far, so good." Allstar muttered and was jabbed by Link's elbow.

"Don't jinx it!" he hissed as they entered the garden, "Zelda! I need to talk to you!" The princess looked at him with a smile, then looked confused by the other heroes.

"That's odd, my dream told me that there would be others that look just like you coming here with you." she remarked, "Why are the other Links in such odd forms?"

"His idea." Allstar pointed at Prankster and was immediately kicked in the leg for the comment. They removed the masks and returned to their true selves. Zelda laughed in delight and ran up to the group.

"So many of you! Link, have you ever seen so many people who looked just like you?!" she exclaimed.

"Just Dark Link, and he doesn't really count." Link replied sheepishly as Zelda poked and prodded Elfin a bit.

"Don't do that. My wife would kill me." Elfin grumbled, still chewing on the toothpick. Waker giggled and laughed when he was poked at and Allstar stepped back.

"You're not gonna make me wear t-shirts and jeans, are you?" he asked warily. Zelda looked at him blankly and turned to Prankster.

"Aren't you going to come out of hiding? You're so little! How old are you?" she cooed.

"Thirteen years, not that it's really any of your business." Maverick replied and pulled back the hood to reveal a nearly flawless face. This time, instead of having three scars on his face, the Prankster's face had a black eyepatch over his left eye. Zelda jumped back, horrified. "My Prankster personality lost his left eye to an X-Patroller's arrow back when my world was in chaos." He lifted his right hand and pressed a button on a wristwatch. In a flash, he resumed his black armor and cape, the patch replaced by the real eye and the scars back on his face. "This is what I really look like. Not much better, I presume." he hissed.

"Hey, Bro, you can come out now." Allstar spoke to Link's shadow. Zelda watched in shock as a black shape moved out of the shadow and reformed itself into another mirror image of the Hero of Time, wearing black and silver with a long black braid of hair and what seemed like a circlet around his head.

"Goddesses! It's that evil creature!" she screamed and grabbed for Link to get to her side. Dark Link frowned and folded his arms over his chest.

"Didn't we just get through explaining to the guy next to you that I'm not evil?" he grumbled, "I'm an actor! Read the magazine!" Zelda blinked at him and looked at Link, who brought out the Nintendo Power magazine and showed her.

"In their world, they work together in something called a video game." he tried to explain. Zelda looked at the pictures and then at Allstar.

"What about your world's Zelda?" she asked quietly.

"Which one? We have like five or six Zeldas all running around." Allstar replied with a grin. Zelda pointed at herself. "Oh, you mean my Zelda. She's probably at the Center City Mall, maxing out my Master Card on shoes and purses again."

"You must have a Ganondorf as well. Is he evil and malicious there, too, or harmless?" Link asked suspiciously. Allstar looked worried.

"He's a good friend of mine, but he got attacked by one of the Nintendo Hunters. I'm hoping he'll be all right. He's an all right guy, I mean, you can't really see him as someone evil unless you step on his flowers by accident." he answered.

"His flowers?!" Link and Zelda both exclaimed in shock. Dark Link nodded.

"Yeah, the lava moat around Ganon's Tower is just fancy CGI covering up his garden of contest flowers. He grew this whole bunch of roses that took first place in the Flower Show two years ago. He gave the money to charity." he added in and smiled, "Ganondorf made my brother here touch the Triforce of Power after he filched one to give to Zelda." Allstar scratched at his nose, looking like he didn't want to go into the subject. "Needless to say, Links and Triforces of Power don't mix."

"What happened?" Link asked, thinking any Link that grabbed the Triforce of Power would easily be able to return all three parts to the Temple of Light.

"Do the words 'Link, get down from that building and put your pants back on!' mean anything to you?" Allstar growled, turning bright red. "The Triforce of Power makes any Nintendo Link that touches it just go nuts. We're not programmed to handle it, so we lose our sanity and our Triforces of Courage if we so much as tap it with a fingertip."

"If you are done with your small talk, can we get on with our mission?!" Maverick snapped and stormed to the door, "We've got to get into the throne room, destroy the statue and get out of here so I can get back to fighting the _Gates Crusher_ with the Shigeru Armada!" The heroes looked at each other, shrugged and chased after him.

*****

The throne room was empty, save for a small metal doll sitting in the throne. Maverick pulled out the SPC and aimed its screen at the doll from a distance.

"Activate scanner." he intoned and a laser beamed out from the screen, sweeping the doll a few times before stopping. Maverick then began pushing buttons and clicking on menus as Link walked up to the throne. He picked up the doll and cocked his head.

"Is this what's causing King Harkinian to lose his senses?" he asked, turning to the others and pointing at the doll, "It doesn't look like much of a threat." The SPC beeped suddenly and Maverick looked up at him sharply.

"PUT THAT DOWN NOW!" he screamed and the castle began to shake as the doll's eyes glowed a bright red. Link threw the doll aside as he fell back from the throne, landing on the marble floor. The others tried to keep their balances as the doll stood and raised its arms up. It began to grow until it towered over the heroes. The SPC beeped again.

"It's freaking huge, man!" Elfin shrieked and pulled out a gun, "You! Stop! You're under arrest for...for...ah, I'll tell you why later! Just get down on the floor!" The doll swung its arms around and glowered at them.

"Oh, yeah. You're really intimidating it." Dark Link muttered.

"Get him out of the way!" Allstar yelled, pointing frantically at Link, who lay crumpled on the floor in front of the giant doll. Waker darted forward, grabbed him by the shoulders and tried dragging him back to the others. Zelda went in to help him as Maverick read the information Zero sent back.

"It says that this is Surya, the computerized doll. It can't take a large jolt of electricity, so shorting it out would destroy it." he remarked, "Allstar! Do you have the Ocarina of Time?!"

"That thing?! I left it in the glove compartment of the car!" Allstar replied.

"Brilliant." Maverick grumbled as Waker and Zelda brought Link back to them, "We need the Song of Storms to conjure a storm so we can use the lightning!" Waker ran up to him after leaving Link to be taken care of by the twins.

"I possess the soul of the original Hero of Time from my world, and his memories as well." he told him, "The Song of Storms won't work, it only brings rain, not lightning." Maverick looked at him, then up at Surya who was now pounding the walls of the castle. "If you can break all the windows here, I know a gust of wind will come in. All I need is just one gust and I can use the Storm King's Bolero to conduct a storm like nothing you've ever seen!" Waker declared.

"This better work." Maverick muttered as he brought out the gun again. He fired rapidly at the windows all around the room as Zelda ducked her head, Elfin glared at him, and the twins attempted to revive Link.

"Dark Link, call my cell phone." Allstar told him as he brought out his own green phone and opened it.

"Why?!" Dark Link snapped, "We don't have time to play with our phones! We've got to get this guy to wake up!"

"The ring tones for my cell phone is the Song of Healing! Call my phone so it can play!" Allstar yelled back. Dark Link whipped out his phone and hit a button for speed dial. In a moment, the notes of the Song of Healing began to play from his twin's phone. Allstar held it to Link's ear and waited. 

A faint pink aura surrounded the hero and he opened his eyes. Dark Link hung up the phone and watched him sit up and rub his head.

"Strangest sounding instrument I've heard or seen." Link remarked as he looked at Allstar's phone. Waker raced past him and he looked up in surprise, "Hey, what's he doing?! He'll get killed!"

"Surya!" Waker shouted, holding up the Wind Waker baton, "You hurt the Hero of Time of this world! I'll make you pay for that and I won't allow you to destroy the world that should have existed in my time! Storm King's Bolero!" He waved the wand in various directions, moving with the rhythm as the winds flowed into the castle and screamed around Surya. Clouds formed above them and thunder rumbled loudly. The Links looked up in surprise as they huddled close to one another, watching as the wind lifted Waker up to be level with the mechanical monster.

"He's lost it!" Dark Link exclaimed.

"He never had it to begin with." Allstar grumbled and winced as lightning flashed nearby, "Hey! Storms in a castle?! I don't remember the Player's Guide for _WindWaker_ saying that was legal!" As the storm raged on, King Harkinian entered the throne room with several of his soldiers. He waved his arms madly.

"Look! See?! She is a witch! She's pretending to be Zelda and she's turned the Hero of Time against us! She's even created evil copies of him! Kill them all!" he screamed, eyes wild.

"No, Father! Come to your senses!" Zelda cried and jumped back as a soldier attacked. Link scrambled aside and brandished the Gilded Sword, trying to protect her and himself.

"Yeah, like we really needed this." Elfin grumbled as he held his shield out to block incoming attacks. Surya continued to pound away and the ceiling began to crumble and fall.

"Hurry it up, Boy!" Maverick yelled at Waker as he used the twin Master Swords in a wide spinning attack similar to the Whirlwind maneuver all the others possessed, "_Master Field Attack!_ I'll kill them if they don't back off!"

"_Storm King! Hear my command!_" Waker declared, lifting the wand high, "_Cast your fingers to my hand!_" Lightning struck out and hit the tip of the wand, encompassing it with a brilliant light. Waker lashed out and hit Surya with the Wind Waker baton, unleashing the load of electricity. Surya shook furiously, then howled as it exploded, knocking Waker out of the air. The soldiers stopped the attack and looked around groggily as King Harkinian shook his head.

"Zelda? Daughter? What has happened here?" he asked in confusion, looking at all the different Links and the damage caused by Surya. Zelda stepped back from holding a spear at one guard.

"Oh, Daddy...." she stammered and thought quickly, "This is all a dream. Go to bed and wake up, then come back here. Everything will be fine then." Harkinian looked dubious, then sighed.

"Well, I am feeling a bit out of sorts. Though I wonder why a black variation of the Hero of Time would be in my dream...." he murmured as he left the room. Zelda sighed and shooed the other guards away as Link ran up to catch Waker.

"That's quite an instrument!" he remarked, setting Waker down safely. Waker blew at his left hand, the wand in his other one.

"Yeah, but I hate it when I have to ask for the power of lightning like that. My hands hurt real bad for a while." he muttered. Elfin walked up to the throne and looked around, finally spotting the tiny Surya in a burned heap on the floor. He picked it up, yelped and dropped it.

"Yow! Man! Waker, you cooked that sucker but good!" he exclaimed. Link jogged over and kicked at it, sending it skidding across the floor. "Hey, that looks like fun, lemme try!" He and Link played with the broken doll as Maverick checked the SPC.

"Zero sent another message. We have to go to a place called Gallera next. Elfin, your world is in serious trouble." he reported. Elfin stopped playing and looked worried.

"Link, now that our land is safe, why don't you stay here. Let them finish their mission." Zelda pleaded with her hero. Link shook his head.

"We were told that the weaknesses of the dolls are made for each Link, but it may not be the one of that world. The weakness for our doll was exploited by Waker Link." he replied, "So that means the one for me is in another world. I have to go."

"Then at least get the rest of your equipment from your home. You can't be a proper hero without them." Zelda sighed. Link nodded and turned to the others.

"I'll meet you all at Lake Hylia. I'll be back soon, okay?" he told them as he brought out his Ocarina. He played the Minuet of Forest and vanished.

"Great. We're walking to the lake now?" Allstar moaned, "I wish we had MegaMan's Silverado...." The group groaned alongside him and left the castle, waving goodbye to the princess as they did.


	11. Web of Deception

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Ten

Lake Hylia

Hyrule Kingdom

Time: 1430 hours

Link watched the others walk into the area and cocked his head in confusion. Dark Link was glaring at his twin. Allstar looked disgruntled. Waker was hugging a book and smiling happily. Elfin was chewing on his toothpick still and Maverick was eyeing them all as if unable to decide which one he would shoot first.

"What took you guys so long?" Link asked in confusion. Dark Link jerked his thumb at his brother.

"Mr. _Legend of Zelda_, here, tried to get some loose change by busting up pots in Hyrule Market." he replied flatly.

"They always had rupees in the game! I don't understand why they don't have rupees in them here!" Allstar grumbled. Waker packed his book into his delivery bag and held up the IDG capsule.

"Well, let's go to the next world!" he declared and the heroes gathered around to place a hand on him and each other. Dark Link placed a hand on his car. "Zero! Send us to Gallera!" Waker declared and in a burst of light, the group was gone, startling the lake professor who had gone out to greet Link.

****

3rd Street

Gallera

Time: 1500 hours

"Ah, home, sweet home!" Elfin declared as he stretched his arms out to the sky and gazed at the city. A gunshot went off somewhere in the distance and police sirens sounded soon after.

"Yep, real homey." Allstar muttered, "You wouldn't happen to have a bulletproof tunic around, do ya?" Elfin only glared at him and began walking forward.

"Let's get to the Outer Inn. We'll need to plan something out from there while Zero locates the next figurine for us." he remarked as he led the way. The others followed while Dark Link got in the car.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just drive there instead of walk?" he asked with a smug grin. Elfin rolled his eyes and headed back.

"Fine, but move over. I'm driving." he declared and, once everyone was squeezed in, headed off to the hotel.

Their grand entrance didn't go by as they had thought. Elfin opened the door to the hotel and had the group step inside. They stood for only a few seconds when a scream sounded and a small boy with blonde hair and a green tunic ran by, holding a CD player over his head and laughing maniacally.

"Lerou! Gimme back my Walkman!" a girl screamed and chased after him, running by in the same tunic style the Links wore, "Hand it over, you brat! Don't make me sing the Song of Storms and wash you out!"

"Ha, ha! You wouldn't dare!" Lerou taunted from another room as they vanished into the dining room. Elfin sighed and shook his head. Link only looked startled.

"Who are they?!" he exclaimed, peering into the room to watch the standoff.

"My kids." Elfin grumbled and went in to stop them, followed by the others, "Where's Leslie? I thought she'd be here."

"Can't get me!" Lerou went on as he stood on one side of the room. Linda Elfin turned red and pouted. She took up a stance and took a deep breath.

"Go around! Go around! Go around, around, around! See the storm clouds go around, go around!" she sang, "Thunder rolling, thunder roaring! Lightning crashing, dashing, flashing! As the storm clouds spin around, spin around!" Storm clouds began forming over their heads, rumbling and flashing as raindrops began to fall.

"No fair!" Lerou whined and grinned. He whistled a small tune, the same three notes over and over. Sunlight burst in from the windows and cleared up the rain clouds. Elfin frowned and stood with his arms folded on his chest.

"NO MAGIC SONGS IN THE HOUSE!" he bellowed and the two jumped in shock, "Look at this mess! Get the mops and clean it up! Linda, you're grounded for a week! Lerou! Give back the Walkman and you're grounded for a week and a half!" he barked out.

"Daddy?!" the two kids exclaimed as they looked at him in surprise, "We thought that you were still missing in action!" Elfin blinked.

"Chief Roku kept trying to contact you in Skulltula Mansion but you never answered." Linda explained as she grabbed a mop and started cleaning, "Mom thought something had happened to you and went in to find you. She never came back either."

"How long was I declared MIA?" Elfin asked, confused. Lerou looked at him strangely as helped his sister.

"Dad...you were missing for three days." he replied, "Uh, who're the other guys that look like you?"

"Friends of mine from other worlds." Elfin rattled off, "I've been missing for three days? But I've only been gone for one day! And Leslie's been gone for the same time? Who was running the hotel?!"

"We were. Duh." Linda replied, arching an eyebrow. "Well, we were planning on closing up today and going in the mansion after you and Mom. That's why we have our tunics on."

"Change of plans, kids." Elfin told them as the SPC beeped again and Maverick whipped it out. "You two are going to stay right here and finish cleaning. Me and the guys are gonna go and get your mom." The kids groaned. "Don't act that way with me. You're not going into that house!"

"We've got bad news and worse news." Maverick muttered. Allstar looked at him, pained.

"Why not 'good news, bad news'?" he asked. Maverick glared at him and flipped the SPC closed, shoving it back into his pouch.

"Because I no longer believe in good news. The last time Nintendo had 'good news', Dark Link was possessed by X Spirit and nearly killed off the whole Nintendo army." he growled.

"I wasn't ever...never mind. Different world, different past." Dark Link sighed and shrugged. "So what's the news?"

"The figurine is in the top floor of the Skulltula Mansion." Maverick replied. "That's the bad news."

"And the worse news?" Waker asked, still confused by the skyscrapers and cars that passed him on the way to the hotel.

"We only have tonight to destroy it. After that, Leslie dies, causing this Link to go insane and kill himself after killing his kids, thus destroying this world forever." Maverick replied simply. The group stared at him in silence for a few moments.

"You won't make it as a guidance counselor with that attitude." Allstar remarked flatly. "I can see the headlines now. 'Death is the best way out. Mav's philosophy cuts population growth in half!' Maybe you need help."

"Maybe you need to remember that I still know all of Nintendo's paralysis codes." Maverick shot back and left the hotel.

"Let's go! I'm not letting those spiders eat my wife!" Elfin declared and raced upstairs, "Let me grab my equipment first, and then we'll head out."

***

Skulltula Mansion

Gallera

Time: 1525 hours

The heroes stared up at the ten-story house and blinked. It was old, creepy, and covered in webs. It looked like your run of the mill horror house. It looked like it should be condemned and torn down. It looked like the kind of thing kids would say is haunted and full of monsters.

It had Elfin's wife inside.

"Stop gawking at it and let's get this done." Maverick growled, prodding Elfin's backside with the tip of one of the Master Swords. They shook themselves out of the sudden chill they had felt and headed inside.

"It's kinda dark in here." Allstar murmured as Glitter flew out from under Elfin's hat and hovered around him. "Nintendo always made sure I had some light in the temples and dungeons so I could see. This doesn't have that. Except the fairy, of course."

"I know the layout of the house already. You can just follow me." Elfin remarked and began heading up some stairs. The others followed, swords drawn to attack any spiders that may try to ambush them. Link gripped the Gilded Sword tightly and looked over at Waker, who held the Hero's Sword in one hand and the Ocarina of Time in another.

"Where did you get that? It can't be mine, it's still in my pouch." Link whispered to him. Waker glanced up at him and looked a little sad.

"Hero gave it to me as a birthday present just before he gave me his soul so I could live through a poison that hit me when I was younger." he replied. "I have it just in case we need to use it for switches and stuff."

The group hadn't gone too far when Elfin suddenly paused and cocked his head. He seemed to be searching for something and the others waited. Finally he spoke aloud.

"I don't like this. We've reached the third floor and nothing's attacked us yet." he declared.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Allstar answered, scanning the walls with Master Sword in hand. Maverick had both Master Swords in his hands, frowning. He shook his head and sniffed the air.

"I smell a trap." he growled and the heroes jumped as a dozen Big Skulltulas dropped down from overhead in an ambush, "Ambush! Prepare for battle!" The spiders chattered and hissed as they closed in on the Links, leaving no way out.

"Come on! Let's get them! The worst they can do is try to cocoon us like they did to me the first time!" Elfin declared as Waker narrowed his eyes. Link glanced at him and looked surprised. For the briefest moment, he had thought he had seen a mirror image of himself overlapping the future Hylian.

"_Screet skera skeee...._" Waker murmured, sounding just like a Skulltula. He blinked in horror. "No! Don't get near them! Run!" he screamed and turned on his heels, slashing past the spiders behind them to get to the stairs. The others jumped out of his way.

"What?! Why?!" Dark Link yelled, his copy of the Master Sword, the Mirror Sword, already stained with the blood of one Big Skulltula.

"They spit acid!" Waker shrieked and ran up a flight of stairs to the fourth floor. The other Links looked confused as the Skulltulas screeched and all spit a green liquid at Elfin and the gang. The officer leaped back and stared in shock as the acid hit the wood where he had been standing and ate right through it.

"They didn't used to do that!" he exclaimed. Glitter bobbed about insanely as the spiders scurried quickly after them. The Links ran, dodging incoming shots of acid and webbing. Maverick sheathed one Master Sword and pulled out his gun, firing over his shoulder in attempts to keep the spiders at bay.

They reached the fourth floor and raced for the end of the hallway. Waker already halfway across. Maverick looked around and then looked ahead. The floor just up ahead of them looked decayed and there was burnt wood everywhere. He bit his lip and ran faster, shoving aside the other Links as he moved.

"Hey! Watch it!" Allstar yelled angrily, "We all want to live through this, Mav!"

"Waker! STOP!!" Maverick screamed out and dove at the Hero of Winds just as he ran over a section of the hallway. Waker blinked and screamed as Maverick collided into him, shoving him over the floor and further up ahead in the hallway.

"What the hell?!" Elfin cried and the heroes all shouted as Maverick crashed onto the floor and the wood paneling collapsed beneath him.

"Hyaaaaah!" Maverick screamed out as he disappeared into the darkness down below. Link and Allstar ran up to the hole in the floor and looked down into it frantically.

"Maverick! Maverick! Can you hear us!" they called down as Elfin whirled around and began firing madly at the oncoming Skulltulas. Waker scrambled to his feet and stared at the open space in horror.

"It was a setup! They used that acid to weaken the floor here and tried to herd us into their little pitfall!" Elfin yelled as he continued firing, "I'm almost out of ammunition! We've got to get out of here and think of something else!"

"How?!" Link cried, still kneeling at the edge of the hole, "I don't have any warp songs for this place!"

"We can't leave Maverick here!" Allstar added as Waker ran and leaped over the hole, rolling to a stop beside the group.

"We don't have a choice! If we stay any longer, we'll all die!" Dark Link snapped and started pulling the Links together, "Get together! I have an idea!" Allstar looked at him as if he were insane.

"You don't mean to tell me that you're...." he started as Dark Link held up his hand. He nodded.

"It's shadow time." he replied with a dry grin, "Shadow Links! Come to me!" He snapped his fingers and five Shadow Links suddenly materialized into the room, each one a mere black silhouette of a Link with glowing red eyes. "Shadow Links! Grab one of each and warp them outside!" Dark Link ordered and watched as each shadow grabbed a Link and dematerialized, vanishing between dimensions to escape. Dark Link sighed and melted into a shadow himself, skimming up the sides of the building to find a way out for himself. The spiders reached the empty hallway and waved their legs, hissing furiously before scattering to resume their invasion plans.

Down below in the basement of the mansion, Maverick lay limply on a pile of skeletal remains, the leftovers of people captured by the spiders when they wandered too near the old manor. A huge shadow crept over his body as a dozen glowing eyes studied him coldly over a dripping maw.

__

"This flesh creature of the outside...skreeee...shall prove most useful...." a disembodied voice hissed from the darkness.


	12. Return to Skulltula Mansion

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Eleven

Outside Skulltula Mansion

Gallera

Time: 1550 hours

The Links rematerialized outside and jumped away from the shadows. Link aimed the Gilded Sword at the one that resembled him the most and looked around warily, unsure of what to do next. Elfin dusted himself off and began reloading his weapon as Allstar cocked his head in confusion and Waker stood alone, muttering softly to himself. After a few moments, Dark Link whisked out of the house and reformed next to them. The Shadow Links immediately bowed to him.

_/Master./_ they intoned in voices that sounded like dying echoes. Dark Link sighed, rolled his eyes and slashed the air in front of himself with a hand. The Shadow Links disappeared as soon as he finished.

"What in the name of Farore was that?!" Link exclaimed in shock, staring at him.

"My servants. The Shadow Links found in some of the Zelda games." Dark Link replied, "Shadow Links aren't the brightest villains, but they do obey orders extremely well, and they only obey the highest ranking Dark character."

"Which would have been King Bowser if my brother hadn't been turned into a Dark Allstar, which ranks him higher than King of Darks and is equal to the Allstars in power." Allstar added brightly.

"Run that by me again?" Elfin asked, raising an eyebrow at the twins.

"Nintendo's hierarchy. You'll see soon enough." Dark Link dismissed it, "I figured that since my brother and Maverick and I are still connected to the Nintendo Power Core, my Shadow Links would still be able to sense my location and go through dimensions to find me. That's why I summoned them to warp you out of the house. They pulled you between the fabrics of space to get you here."

"If that's true, then let me turn off my earrings." Allstar remarked and reached up to the two blue earrings he wore. He tapped both once at the same time and grinned. "There! Homing beacon and two way microphone deactivated!"

"NES Link is gonna kill you for that." Dark Link muttered as he did the same to his own silver earrings.

"What are we going to do about Maverick?! He's still trapped in there!" Link cried, pointing at the mansion. Elfin sighed and grabbed his phone. He started dialing and grumbling to himself.

"Man, I hate calling for backup! I end up having to share the money." he muttered. Allstar grinned at him.

"Spoken like a Link!" he declared and laughed.

Within an hour, a pair of vans and a taxi had parked on the front lawn of the Skulltula Mansion. A young woman dressed in black body armor and hefting a tank of some kind on her back leaped out of the first van. A pretty redhead with a dazzling smile, she ran up to Elfin and saluted him.

"Lt. Jean Archne, reporting for duty, SIR!" she declared, "I got the gas and the pillowcases!" Elfin groaned.

"I knew it would come to this." he grumbled and looked back at his friends. "Rupees aren't the currency here; coins are. We spray the Skulltulas with a special gas and they drop gold rupees and coins. We can change the rupees to coins at the bank, but we always end up fighting over them in here." he explained. Allstar, Waker, and Link's ears all perked up.

"Gold rupees?! As in worth 200 rupees?" they all said in unison. Elfin nodded. The three elves grinned at each other, then at Jean.

"Um, sir? Why are there more of you and why are they all looking at me like that?" she whispered at Elfin.

"Will you all stop thinking about money?!" Dark Link shrieked at the heroes, "It won't kill you to go through one stinkin' quest without trying to get rich quick!"

"Sorry, force of habit." Allstar laughed as Waker and Link looked embarrassed.

The other van opened and three women dressed in clothes resembling those of the Gerudo pirates all jumped out and greeted Elfin. Link automatically had his sword aimed at them.

"Are these Gerudos good or bad?!" he snapped at Elfin. The officer looked back at him with an arched eyebrow as Linda and Lerou also jumped out of the van and joined the pirates.

"Hey, Dad, I asked the elite unit to come along, is that okay?" Linda asked as the pirates studied Link warily. Elfin nodded. "Can we go, too?" Elfin shook his head.

"I told ya he wasn't gonna let us." Lerou grumbled, kicking at the grass.

"These aren't Gerudos. They're the Tiger's Claw pirates. My wife was their former queen and Linda is training to take her place." Elfin explained absently as he looked at the taxi, "Sam! I thought for sure you'd break another land speed record getting here!" A man with average build and a messy crop of brown hair grinned as he got out of the driver's seat and ran up to him.

"Sorry, killer traffic." he apologized. "So what's the plan?" Elfin explained the whole story to them, from meeting the other Links, to the current situation they were facing. "Link, my man, you need another vacation after all this is done." Elfin frowned at the grinning faces of his world's friends.

"A month in recuperative therapy is not what I'd consider a vacation." he grumbled as the pirates snickered, and Jean and Sam laughed heartily.

"I told you to get the Barbed Longshot examined before you went into Hangman Tower, but did you listen? Noooo." Sam went on, "' Oh, I'm the great Agent Link Elfin, I don't need to have my equipment checked before running into a skyscraper full of ReDeads and no working elevators and the only way through is by crawling around in the ventilation system!'"

"Oh, shut up." Elfin growled, "The plan is to get us into that house and to the top floor so we can destroy the figurine. You guys are going to search it and find Leslie and Maverick before they get killed. Got it?" The group nodded. "Okay! Let's move out!" They raced into the mansion, leaving Linda and Lerou to stand outside in sheer boredom.

"How exactly are we going to destroy the figurine if Maverick isn't going to be there to scan it for weaknesses?" Link asked Elfin as they raced back to the fourth floor, the backup running around and spraying Skulltulas with Jean's special gas.

"We wing it, Link. We wing it!" Elfin huffed, leaping over the chasm in the hallway. Link looked confused as he followed.

"Wing it? But we don't have wings." he murmured. Allstar stopped after jumping over the hole. He turned back to call to the pirates that followed them.

"Maverick fell down this hole! See if you can get down there and find him!" he shouted, then turned and followed the other Links.

*****

Time: 1630 hours

"I don't like this." Allstar growled as they stood before a huge door at the tenth story. Dark Link glanced back at him in silent understanding. They had slashed and hacked their way past the Skulltulas, avoided several more traps and finally made it to the boss room. Elfin looked back at them.

"What now?" he growled. Allstar waved his hand around.

"All this. It was too easy. There weren't any puzzles to solve, no brain-bending monster attacks, nothing!" he clarified. Link nodded.

"I agree with him. It seems as if we were allowed to come this far. To come to this room." he added, "I wouldn't be surprised if the monster behind this door is the greatest threat in their arachnid arsenal."

"The figurine?" Waker asked and the others nodded silently. "It would make sense. We haven't heard from the others about finding a strange doll anywhere." Static crackled suddenly and Elfin pulled a radio up from a hip pouch.

"Elfin here." he replied and listened to the messages.

"It's me, man! The pirates found Leslie! We got her outside and, man, was she a mess! I got some water and food for her and I already radioed for medics." Sam's voice declared.

"What about Maverick?" Elfin countered. Sam sighed.

"No signs. Jean searched every square inch of the basement and found nothing but bones and webs. We think the spiders might have taken him somewhere else, or just ate him up already." the cab driver reported. Elfin closed his eyes and nodded slightly.

"You did your best, guys. We'll see you in a bit." he called and ended the conversation. "Man, Maverick...." he murmured as the other Links looked grim. Waker shook his head and looked determined.

"I don't believe it! Maverick couldn't be killed that easily! You've seen how he fought in Hyrule Castle! Spiders are nothing to him!" he declared, "I bet you a hundred rupees he's alive and....and right on the other side of this door!"

"Okay, cash or check?" Allstar asked, bringing out a small black book. Dark Link punched him in the arm, glaring at him. "What? I need the money!"

"By Din's Eye, we're just wasting time talking!" Link declared and kicked down the door, "We'll find the answers inside, not out here yammering about money and small black boxes that speak!" He ran in, sword in hand, as the heroes looked at him in surprise, then followed.

The room was huge and decrepit, with a mannequin-sized statue at the far end. It jerked to life as the Links neared the center of the room and it had a single glowing gem in its head. It raised its arms and the limbs began to melt, forming blades in their place. Allstar and Dark Link stepped back a bit and jumped as Waker began to speak strangely.

"_The light and the darkness, always a pair. The darkness has beauty, the light is fair. Bring them together to tear them apart. This is the truth I've taken to heart._" he intoned and put a hand to his forehead, grimacing, "Hero...." Link glanced at him in shock, then turned to look at the statue again as it began to walk towards them, holding its blades menacingly.

"I've seen that gem before...." he murmured and blinked, "Ikana Canyon's Stone Tower!" The red gem was shaped like the jewels he had fired on as a child in Termina.

"What? You mean, _Majora's Mask_? Miyamoto, I hated that level. What were the Programmers smoking when they designed that layout?" Allstar grumbled as he darted forward and started to duel with the figurine.

"Wait up!" Dark Link cried and ran in to help him. Elfin growled and pulled out his gun again.

"Screw this." he muttered and fired at the jewel. It flashed and he fell back with a cry, covering his face. "Aaaagh! My eyes!" Link jumped and he knelt by him, prying them away from his face. He gasped in shock as he stared down at Elfin's frantic expression. The royal blue had turned milky white. "I can't see! I'm blind! Oh God, oh God, oh God!" he babbled hysterically.

"Argh!" Dark Link raged as he stumbled back from the doll, his left arm bleeding from a slash it delivered during the momentary insanity. He tried to move it and discovered he couldn't grip his sword. "Allstar! I'm down!" The Nintendo Link didn't answer, too busy with blocking blows to respond. Waker struggled to move but the strange little poem he had recited had seemed to sap his strength.

"Hero said the light and the darkness!" he stammered and pointed at the walls, "No light! It feeds on darkness and it gives darkness!"

"Light arrows!" Link declared in realization, "The red jewels in Stone Tower were affected by the Light arrows! Elfin! Don't you have them?" The officer shook his head, covering his face and trying to calm down.

"N-no. I have Fire, Ice, and Blessed Arrows. That's all." he stammered. Link nodded and looked at Glitter.

"Little one, I'm going to need your help. Can you hover over that doll's head so I can target the jewel? Allstar is distracting it, but they keep moving too much. If I miss...." he trailed uncertainly as he looked at the two fighters. Allstar had a strange fighting style. Most of the time he fought like he did in the games he starred in, but then he would add in a few extra moves that came from the fighting games. The figurine was constantly being off set by the variety of attacks. Allstar was tiring quickly and wouldn't be able to hold it off much longer.

_"I'll do my best, but you'd better not miss 'cause then if you do the arrow might hit that other Link and then there'd be blood everywhere and I really hate blood and then it gets sticky and nasty and...._" the fairy chattered to Link as it bobbed about.

"Glitter, stop babbling!" Elfin yelled, "Damn, I don't understand a word she says but when she starts talking, she won't stop!" Link laughed and stood up, understanding perfectly every word the fairy spoke. Glitter raced in and hovered above the figure's head, guiding Link's aim as he pulled out his bow and murmured a spell on his arrow. Allstar looked up at her briefly in surprise.

"Z-targeting? Now?" he remarked and grunted as the figurine kneed him in the stomach. Dark Link echoed the sound and doubled over as his twin fell to the floor, curled up. The doll pulled its blade arm back, ready to drive it into the elf.

"Not today!" Link declared and fired the arrow. It shone brightly as it streaked through the air and hit the red jewel on the statue's head. It arced, as if in pain, then shattered into dust. Elfin groped about for a bit and sat up, blinking in surprise.

"I...I can see again?!" he remarked as Dark Link and Allstar began to recover. Link looked back at Waker in confusion.

"How did you know of those words? I hadn't told anyone about them and they were written in the language the ReDeads invented." he asked. Waker stood fully and tapped his forehead.

"Hero told me." he replied simply. Allstar grimaced and managed a grin as he limped up to the group.

"Heh, you owe me a hundred rupees. Maverick wasn't here." he teased and the group jumped in shock as a voice called out to them from above.

"_Oh, I beg to differ._" it rasped as a giant Skulltula descended from the ceiling. On its back, Maverick sat calmly, legs folded under him and same expressionless face as always.

"Maverick! You're alive!" Waker exclaimed happily. Link also looked joyful, but the other heroes were glaring at the dining table-sized spider. Maverick smiled slowly at them.

It was not a nice smile.

"_Sorry, but the Elle Maverick you had befriended is no longer in command of himself. However, I, the great Master Skulltula, will be in control of his body for the duration of its usefulness._" the rasping voice came from his mouth and, at the same time, from somewhere else on him. He stood and leaped off the spider, performing a perfect back flip that had him land on a pedestal where the figurine had been propped against before it moved. "_You five, on the other hand, shall make for a fine feast for my servants before we begin to conquer the outside world!_" Maverick went on and laughed evilly as the Giant Skulltula hissed and ran at the Links to attack, mouth open and dripping for a chance to feed on one of the heroes.


	13. Smart Spiders Aren't Fun

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Twelve

Skulltula Mansion

Gallera

Time: 1650 hours

The Links dove out of the way as the Giant Skulltula charged at them. Maverick stood at the end of the room, laughing and enjoying the show. The spider screeched and turned around, legs scrambling to keep up with the many elves around it. Link was searching it carefully for weak points as he raced to avoid its barrage of webbing. Dark Link ran to a corner and leaned into the shadows for cover, hand pressed tightly over the gash in his left arm. Unable to help fight, he could only try to stay out of the group's way and hope that the spider didn't go after him.

He didn't hope enough.

"Get out of the way, Dark Link!" Allstar yelled as the Giant Skulltula spun and fired another blast of web fluid. Dark Link flinched and braced himself, crying only after the force of the webbing's impact slammed him against the wall and pinned him there. "Dark Link!"

"Don't worry about me! I can't do anything to help you with my arm hurt and the override program in effect!" he called back, "Just find a way to kill that thing!"

"_You don't stand a chance against my army of Skulltulas. Just give yourselves up. My pets don't like to eat tough meat._" Maverick and the Master Skulltula boasted and laughed again.

"Maverick! You're not helping any by letting that thing control you!" Elfin shouted as he fired on the huge spider. The bullet ricocheted off the shell on its back as it pulled in its legs and pressed its belly against the floor. Glitter flew up to the spider and bobbed about on it.

_"Look! See how it's protecting its underside?! I bet it couldn't take a blow to its belly! Come on, Link! Flip it over like a hamburger patty and deep fat fry it with a Fire Arrow!"_ she chattered. Elfin growled under his breath as Waker blinked in recognition.

"It's protecting the belly?" he echoed and shook his head, glaring over at Maverick as he lashed out with his sword, "Maverick! Fight whatever spell that spider has on you! You're stronger than he is, Maverick!"

For a moment, Maverick's face shifted, looking tormented and pained. Then he shook his head and resumed his cruel expression, grinning at the Hero of Winds.

"_Nice try, Elf-boy, but the kid's mine. And soon the city will be mine as well, once I have you all devoured and there is no one to rise against my army!_" Master Skulltula laughed through the captain's mouth. The Giant Skulltula suddenly screamed in pain and he looked to see what had happened.

The Giant Skulltula was waving a gory stump of a leg in the air, the rest of its legs supporting it, while Allstar stood nearby. His sword had blood on it and the front of his tunic was torn open, a long cut bleeding on his chest. He was glaring up at the spider angrily.

"You lousy excuse for a minion! This tunic is the property of Nintendo Corporation! They're gonna take the damages out of my paycheck!" he shrieked in a fury, "And the damn thing's dry clean only! How the hell am I gonna get blood out of this fabric?!"

_"Cut off its legs! Cut off its legs so it can't move and you can flip it over with your swords and kill it!"_ Glitter tittered, zipping around Elfin's head. He waved his hand at her, annoyed, and jumped at the spider, slashing at another leg with his own normal sword. The Giant Skulltula shrieked again. Maverick narrowed his eyes. The fight wasn't as entertaining as it was before.

"_Perhaps I should take matters into my own hands._" he growled and pulled out the little gun Maverick had hidden on him. He cocked it and aimed at Allstar, who cut off yet another leg when the Giant Skulltula's gore landed on his head.

"No!" Waker yelled and grabbed his Delivery Bag. He swung it around and slammed it into Maverick's stomach, knocking him off the pedestal. He jumped after him and started pounding on the captain with his fists. "Whatever you are, let him free! Let him go! Maverick! Snap out of it!" he screamed at him.

"Cut off its legs!" Link translated, slashing at the Giant Skulltula with the Gilded Sword. Dark Link watched from his vantage point as the three remaining Links attacked the spider's legs, weaving in and out in between them to confuse it. He winced as the cut on his own chest appeared and began to sting. The Connection had been delayed in copying the injury onto him, but it finally opened the wound. Dark Link sighed; being a mirror image of his twin sucked. Meanwhile, the Giant Skulltula screamed again and spit a stream of acid around itself. Elfin jerked back to avoid it and stumbled into a glop of web fluid.

"Hey!" he exclaimed and started to pull on his leg to free his boot, "Stupid lousy spiders! I should have brought a can of Raid!" Link jumped back from the battle and tried to help him. "Don't call attention to me, stupid! Get back there and fight!" Elfin snapped at him and stared up at the spider in shock as it broke away from Allstar with injured legs and reached for him instead. Link pulled out another arrow to fire on it but Elfin shoved him aside, leaving himself open to be grabbed by the Giant Skulltula's pincers.

"Elfin! Stab him in the head!" Dark Link shouted out as the spider lifted the officer into the air, the pincers clamped tight around his waist.

"Well, why didn't I think of that sooner?! Hmm, maybe because if I did that, this thing would bite me in two?!" Elfin shrieked back, struggling to pry open the spider's teeth. Allstar frowned and spun the Master Sword in his hand.

"Screw this! I'm tired of sword-fighting and not getting paid for it!" he yelled and darted in under the spider. He spun the sword once more and drove it straight up into the soft underbelly of the Giant Skulltula. It shrieked in pain and dropped the agent onto the floor. Elfin landed and rolled away, grimacing once as he rubbed the injured right leg.

Meanwhile, Waker was still pounding on Maverick. The captain fought back and kicked him off, jumping to his feet in a rage. Waker tumbled back and looked up at him with the same furious look.

"_Prepare to die now, little hero!_" Master Skulltula hissed, then blinked and jerked back. "_What?! What...is...hap-pen-ing?!_" he struggled to say as he lifted his hands up in shock. They twitched and his body jerked again. Maverick was fighting to get free! He opened his mouth and screamed in pain, then doubled over, holding his head.

"What's happening?!" Link called back, unable to tear his eyes away from Allstar's stabbing of the Giant Skulltula that shook above him in agony.

"I'm Peachy!" a perfect copy of Princess Toadstool's voice cried from Maverick's mouth, "Yoshi!" It was followed by a replica of Yoshi's voice. More voices flowed from Maverick's mouth as he jerked and convulsed on his feet. "_Time to duel! I am the ultimate life form! Samus Aran reporting for duty! Kirby, Kirby! Pikachu!_" each phrase was spoken in the voice of the game star it belonged to, from Yugi Motuo and Shadow the Hedgehog, to Kirby and Pikachu, and they all tumbled from Maverick's lips.

"Has he gone crazy?!" Elfin cried, unsure whether he meant Allstar still gutting open the Giant Skulltula that was on the verge of collapsing in death, or the young captain of the _Elfin Phoenix_ who was mimicking the voices of thousands of game stars as he shook and jerked.

"Hyaaaaah!" Maverick suddenly screamed and reached back behind him, grabbing hold of something that was under his cloak. There was a shrill shriek of pain and a crack. In the next moment, Maverick hurled a Golden Skulltula over his head and slammed it onto the floor. "Stay out of my head!!" he screamed and collapsed in exhaustion. The golden spider clacked the broken pincers and scurried after Waker, jumping up suddenly at him. Waker cried in fright and backed up, screaming when the spider suddenly exploded in front of him.

Elfin pointed his gun at the space where the Golden Skulltula had been, smoke drifting slightly from the end of the barrel. He frowned.

"God I hate those things. I'm definitely putting in an order for some Raid at the office." he grumbled and jumped in surprise when the Giant Skulltula finally crumpled, giving Allstar barely enough time to dive out of the way and get to safety. Dark Link sighed and yelled out at the group.

"Hey! Yeah! Remember me?! Get me down from here!" he shouted. Allstar ran over and pulled at the webbing, tearing it off so his brother could drop down safely. "Hey, Bro, you okay? That's some gash." Dark Link added worriedly, leaning forward to inspect the cut on his twin.

"I must be if you're still standing. It's not that bad, but if it leaves a scar, Mario will hand me my ass on a platter." Allstar sighed, "Who came up with that rule where the Millennium Links can't have blemishes and flawed skin?"

"Shigeru probably. It should be healed once we get home." Dark Link muttered and shrugged. They looked over at Maverick and took on worried expressions. "But him, I'm not sure. He was yammering on with the others' personalities." he added.

"I thought that the personalities would be erased once the NBS took effect." Allstar murmured as they joined the other Links in surrounding the crumpled figure. "Why does Maverick still have the backups of the Nintendo characters?"

Waker poured a bottle of water onto Maverick's face and watched intently as the captain stirred a bit and opened his eyes halfway. He sat up and looked around in a daze.

"Allstar Link? I had a bad dream. I dreamed that everybody died and I was all alone and I had to save the Game Realm and Nintendo lied to me about everything." Maverick murmured in a soft voice, sounding more like a true child Link than he did before. He looked up at the group and blinked slowly, confused. "Uncle Dark, when did we let FanFics tour the base?" he asked and then saw Elfin walking up with the remnants of the Golden Skulltula. Maverick shook his head and narrowed his eyes.

"Get away from me and forget everything I just said." Maverick hissed at the group and jumped away from them. "A moment of weakness. I'll be sure to meditate on it when I get back to my base of operations." he added under his breath. The Links stood and sighed in exasperation, then noticed the mess in Elfin's hands.

"What was that?" Waker asked in curiosity. Link frowned as he peered at it.

"This used to be a Gold Skulltula. They would curse people and turn them into spiders. To break the curse you had to kill the spider that cursed them, grind the token it leaves with a bottle of red potion and a bottle of green potion, then cook it until it left a cream. The cream would lift the curse from the person." he replied.

"In the game I had to kill a hundred of these and take the tokens to lift the curse from a family in Kakariko." Allstar added and grinned. "Heh, heh. Money, money, money, money!"

"This must have been Master Skulltula. It was attached to Maverick's back and used its venom to take over his mind. Normally, you can't fight against Gold Skulltula venom without some good meds since it makes your mind lie dormant." Elfin put in and looked at Maverick, "So how did you force it out of your head, Maverick?"

"That thing was up against an army of minds within me. It took time for them to rise and overpower him." Maverick answered in a dark voice, "The memories and programs of all the Nintendo characters that were online when Nintendo Home Base was destroyed are still in me. I refuse to let them vanish into nothing."

"You're creeping me out, Maverick." Allstar muttered, turning slightly green, "You've got me inside you, as well as Dark Link and all the rest of the Zelda crew."

"Our job's done! Should we go on to the next world then?" Link asked brightly. Elfin shook his head.

"Let me tend to my wife and kids first. Then we can go." he told them and led the way out of the house.

*****

Outer Inn

Gallera

Time: 1740 hours

"You're going where?!" Chief Roku snapped at Elfin as the other Links watched from their position outside of the inn. The police chief was a rather short, round figure, with a scruffy mustache and a tendency to turn bright red when angry.

"To another dimension. It's only for a few days." Elfin replied calmly.

"And you want this to be counted as a paid vacation?!"

"More like a special assignment. I get overtime for this."

"You'd better not come back in pieces, Elfin, or I'll charge you so much on your funeral your great-grandkids will be working for me to pay it off!"

"I didn't know you cared so much, Chief. I'll bring you a t-shirt when I get back."

"Here you are. Fresh clothes and your other supplies are packed up in this knapsack." Leslie told her husband as she handed him the bag. Elfin kissed her on the cheek and thanked her.

"Are you sure you don't want to see Dr. West about the cuts?" he asked her, worried about the bandages she sported on her arms and legs. The violet-haired woman smiled and shook her head.

"I'm fine, Link! It'll take more than an army of super-intelligent spiders to take out Tiger's Paw, Queen of the Tiger's Claw Pirates!" she declared with a laugh.

"She looks like the girl in the Bombchu Bowling Alley in _Ocarina of Time._" Allstar muttered. Elfin pulled on the pack and kissed her again, then kissed each of his children on the head.

"Bye, Linda, take care. See ya, Lerou, be good. I'll see you all in a few days." he told them. The kids nodded and sighed, wishing silently to one day go on a quest of their own. Elfin stepped back and glanced at the badge on his tunic. The gold shield would help to separate him from the other Links. Glitter still stayed with him, sleeping under his hat. He put on his sunglasses and grinned, waving to them before placing his hand on Allstar's shoulder. Dark Link placed a hand on his car and Waker held up the IDG.

"Onwards! To the next world!" he cried and the group vanished in a flash of white light. Linda looked stunned and laughed.

"Hey, that's cool! I bet we can recreate that with our special effects guy down at Miss Zelda Royale's concert hall!" she exclaimed. Leslie winced.

"I knew I forgot to tell him something. He didn't tell Zelda he was taking the week off." she muttered. Lerou looked surprised and then sighed.

"Daddy's gonna get it from her big time when he gets back." he agreed. Linda turned to the garage.

"I'll get the first aid kit ready. Zelda knows Tae Kwan Do and you know Dad won't hit a girl." she called back over her shoulder. Leslie looked back at the empty space as Chief Roku threw down his hat and spat on the grass, covering up his worried thoughts.

"Come home safely, Link." Leslie murmured.


	14. Traitor to Nintendo!

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Thirteen

Outskirts of Center City

Game Realm

Time: 1200 hours

"Whaddya mean, it's outta gas?!" Allstar shrieked as the Links stood by the side of the road. Dark Link leaned against the car and shrugged.

"We drove it in Hyrule and, face it, you can't find a Texaco in Old Hyrule. We drove it in Gallera and I forgot to get the tank filled. So yeah. The car's empty." he replied flatly, "You and Elfin owe me gas money."

"Well, this is just great." Allstar grumbled as he tapped his earrings again, "I'm gonna have to call for a company car and Zelda is gonna chew me up and spit me out for missing our date. How many days have passed by here?"

"According to the info Zero sent us, eight days have passed since you two were snatched from this realm." Maverick answered and frowned. "And I don't like what I see in the distance." Elfin, Link and Waker were looking out at the far north, where a black shadow seemed to rise from the earth and tower over the land.

"On the bright side, Microsoft Fortress isn't blocking out the sunlight again. I can work on my tan while you call SNES MegaMan X and SNES Zero to pick us up." Dark Link remarked cheerfully as he put his arms behind his head and sighed in contentment.

"Oh great." Allstar muttered as he began dialing on his phone, "I get to listen to Zero's damn country CDs."

"Every world we go to seems stranger and stranger." Link murmured as Waker stood beside him. They both sighed and shrugged. "That's life for a hero, I suppose." he added and Waker nodded.

Some thirty minutes later, a large black van with a red logo on the side drove up to the group and parked. Allstar blinked as a black motorcycle with the same logo on its side pulled up alongside it and stopped. Both vehicles had the familiar logo 'Nintendo' emblazoned on the sides. The driver of the motorcycle removed the helmet and glared at Dark Link, who paled and forced a smile.

"Hey, Zel! How ya doin'?" he stammered. Dark Zelda, commonly called Zel, sat stiffly in her seat, dressed in a leather jacket, ice blue tube top, black jeans and high top boots and a silver chain wrapped around her waist. Her hair was jet black with a single lock of silver hair streaking down near her right temple. With dark blue eyes and delicate face, she looked like a dark underworld princess, holding the otherworld Links captive by her beauty.

"King Bowser's pissed. You two are in trouble." she said simply and jerked her head at the van, which had GC Fox McCloud at the wheel, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in irritation. "Get in the van."

"Who is that?" Link whispered to Dark Link, still staring at her. Dark Link sighed and grinned weakly.

"My wife. And my bodyguard." he answered, "Uh, Zel, about my car and that appointment with Master Bowser...."

"We've got Joanna Dark on the way to pick it up with a tow truck. The meeting was rescheduled for after the alert goes down. Get in the van." Zel ordered again. Dark Link stopped smiling.

"Alert? What happened at the base? What's going on?" he asked as the other Links headed for the van and climbed in. Zel put her helmet back on and flapped the visor down, hiding her face in the darkness of it.

"Nintendo was attacked." she said flatly, "The Hunters killed Allstar Luigi." With those dark words, she revved up the bike and rode off, driving towards the western land, the territory belonging to the Nintendo Home Base.

"Okay, three questions." Allstar Mario growled as the Nintendo Twins stood over his brother's body, infusing it with restorative energy, "One, where have you two been?!"

"Uh...." Allstar and Dark Link started to reply.

"Two, why did you two shut off your homing beacons?!"

"Uh...."

"Three! Why are those FanFics following you around?!"

"Uh...."

"We're not FanFics." Maverick growled as he watched the Twins restore Luigi to life, "We're from parallel worlds and we're on a mission. Now shut up, fat man, and listen to what's going on." Mario shot him a glare and scowled up at the elves.

"What is it, then?! Can't any of you see what's happening? The base is being besieged again, and this time, we have no idea how the enemy is getting INSIDE the complex!" he snapped. The Nintendo Twins vanished once their work was completed and Luigi joined his older brother. Link and Waker looked around in shock, seeing the burns and holes in the walls of the main hall of the base. Elfin looked indifferent and Maverick wasn't affected in the least bit by the destruction.

"It's a long story about where we've been." Allstar sighed, "I'll report it in an hour, but we all could use some rest. Can we be given that much at least?" The Mario Brothers looked at each other and a strange look passed between them. They nodded silently and turned to oversee the remaining repairs as other injured characters were moved to the sick bay. "Dark Link, we need to get to the medical wing pretty soon to get healed. Maverick, since you come from a Nintendo base, can you show the others around?" Allstar asked as the two elves walked away.

"I'm a tour guide now?" Maverick muttered and scowled, "I'll have you know that the only reason why I know this base inside and out is because I once tried to destroy it myself." He sniffed disdainfully and waved at the other Links, "Come along. I'll take you to the Zelda quarters. You'll all have to pose as FanFics. Try not to attack anyone." he added, "That's my duty."

Nintendo Home Base teemed with life, all kinds of characters milling about and working to maintain the video games they starred in. Waker lagged behind the close-knit group of Links to stare in awe at a huge screen overlooking the auditorium. On it was a recording of a fighting tournament, the opponents in the fight were a figure in red and gold armor and a boy in strange blue armor.

"Watching the Smash Brothers Tournament rerun, Waker?" a deep voice rumbled behind him. Waker jumped and whirled around in horror. Ganondorf stood there with a grin on his face. "Hey, kid, ready to go?"

"G-g-g-guh...!" Waker stammered in shock, his face turning white. What was Ganondorf doing out of the bottom of the Great Sea?! He himself had witnessed him turning into that statue! Ganondorf faltered in his smile, looking worried.

"Waker? Little Link, are you feeling okay?" he asked, reaching out to him. He placed his hand on Waker's head and the Hero of Winds screamed, stumbling back. "Whoa! What's up?!"

"Link! Hero! He's free!" Waker shrieked and Link came running up to him.

"What's going on?! Ganondorf?!" the Hero of Time exclaimed in shock as the Gerudo looked at Waker strangely, then at him.

"Did you two touch the Triforce of Power again?" he asked in exasperation as Maverick returned with Elfin, scowling. The real _WindWaker_ Link arrived with _WindWaker_ Zelda, both dressed in shorts and shirts with the Zelda logo emblazoned across them.

"Hey, Ganondorf! We're over here!" they cried, running up to him. Both of them were children and smiled cheerfully up at him, before looking at the Links strangely. "FanFics? In the base? Did we open the tours again?" Waker blinked in shock as he stared down at the younger version of himself looking up at him with a frown.

"That's me!" he exclaimed.

"Wrong, you're me. In a FanFic Author's mind, you're what I'm supposed to be." the Little Link replied, "You weren't going to attack my game's Ganondorf, were you? I'll call security if you do." Ganondorf bent down and lifted the two kids onto his shoulder, grinning as they giggled.

"Sorry, man. I thought you were my little buddy with the Master Key pulled." Ganondorf apologized to the still shocked Waker, "Okay, Link, Zelda, you two ready for the movies?" The kids laughed and nodded, chattering happily as he carried them away to another wing of the building.

"Can you explain that to me?" Link asked, dumbfounded and staring at Maverick as if the world had gone insane. The captain shrugged.

"Nintendo life. All sweetness and good fun. Makes me wanna show them my memories and wipe those stupid smiles off their faces." he replied and turned his back on them, "Now come on. Before you do something else to embarrass me."

They hadn't gone very far when the Allstar Twins rejoined them, dressed in clean tunics and fully healed. Allstar stretched and smiled at them as Dark Link waved away the Shadow Links attending him.

"Regeneration capsules are the single greatest invention SNES Dr. Mario ever came up with!" he laughed and looked past the group, "Ganondorf! Hey, man, you got healed too?!" Link looked over his shoulder and froze as the Gerudo King he had fought with in his world ran past him and swept Allstar up in a bear hug. "Ah, no! Don't do that in front of the guys! Not the-!"

"Noogie!" Ganondorf declared, rubbing his knuckles into Allstar's hair as he held the elf down in a headlock, "You're gonna be gettin' one for every payday you cost me during _Majora's Mask_! Where have you been all week, Link?! You had me and Zelda and the whole gang worried sick!" The Gerudo let him go and sighed, "You know we panic when you're gone and we don't get a signal from the beacon. Prince Dark Link is too valuable to lose and you're the Smash Brothers Champion, the only one capable of coming up with strategies that can bust through attacks without fail." Allstar gingerly pat his head as Link eyed Ganondorf warily.

"You grow flowers around your tower?" he asked dubiously. Ganondorf blinked, then glared sidelong at Allstar.

"You told them about my petunias, didn't you?" he growled and tackled the blonde elf, wresting him to the floor as Dark Link sighed in exasperation. "Blast it all, Link, I told you not to tell anybody about my petunias!"

"If this is what Ganondorf is like, I'd hate to see Zelda." Link muttered as he took a step back from the two Triforce Holders rolling around on the floor, struggling to get each other in a headlock again.

*****

Eventually, the group made it to the section of the base where the Zelda characters resided. Allstar showed the other Links some spare rooms and had to help clear one out. Elfin raised an eyebrow as Link and Waker stared down at Allstar, half of him hidden under a bed.

"NO! I don't wanna leave!" a young boy's voice wailed from underneath.

"Young Link, you'd better get out from there if you don't want N64 Zelda to drag you off to The Limited again!" Allstar declared.

"But this is MY hiding spot!" The wail grew louder as Allstar wiggled backwards from under the bed, dragging along a younger version of himself by the ankles. "Naaaah!" Young Link screamed and kicked at his hands, freeing himself so he could run to the door. "I'm telling NES Link on you!" he shouted from the doorway and ran off.

"Kids." Allstar grumbled as he dusted himself off, "Well, Link, this is your room. If he sneaks back in, just boot him out again." Waker looked out the door and blinked as a group of Zeldas walked past, all laughing and clutching shopping bags. Each one looked a little different from the others, all of them unique.

"How many Links are there?" he asked in wonder, watching the SNES Link walk past, reading an issue of _GamePro_ magazine. "And why does that one have pink hair?"

"Seven, last time I checked." Allstar replied as he walked out of the room into the main room. He flopped onto a couch and propped his feet on the coffee table, "And his hair is pink because his Zelda keeps getting him the wrong hair dye. Actually, it's not pink, it's fuschia."

"There's a difference?" Link asked sarcastically, "I saw two of them with red hair. And one on that strange window with brown hair." Allstar made a face.

"Eight then. That's Link Chance, our cousin. He's in the Zelda cartoons. Biggest snob I've ever had the misfortune to meet." he grumbled and tightened his hand into a fist, "If I had to hear him say 'Excuuuuse me!' one more time, I swore I would bash his teeth in so hard, they'd come out the back of his head!"

"What about CD-I?" Maverick questioned in a soft, dark whisper. Allstar stood quickly and glared at him.

"He's not a Link. He never was and never will be. I will not hear that name uttered within the walls of the Nintendo Base. He's a disgrace to the Zelda name. I'm glad he was killed in the blast that destroyed our home." he hissed. A beep went off, breaking the tense mood. "Allstar, here." the elf declared.

"Allstar Link, we have a suspicion that a traitor in Nintendo is giving X Spirit information needed to break into our base. Go and see to Aftermath Link. He should have a list of suspects." Allstar Peach announced from the intercom, "You'll find him in Master Control."

"On my way." Allstar replied and looked at the group. "You guys wanna stay or come with?" Link and Waker looked at each other and shook their heads.

"This is too strange for us. We'll stay here and try to keep out of sight. Both of us nearly attacked Ganondorfs that are actually innocent of any crimes and evils." Link replied for the two of them, "And I'd like to read whatever books are here. Maybe if I knew more about this world, it will be easier to distinguish the true enemies."

"We've got the library, but it's in another wing. There're plenty of magazines here and Aftermath's room is packed with books. You can browse them if you want." Allstar told them and headed for the door.

"I'll stick around here, too." Elfin decided and flopped down onto the sofa, grabbing the TV remote and flipping it on. Maverick followed Allstar.

"I want to see who this Aftermath Link is and whether he is who I think he is, Allstar." he growled as he ran after the elf.

"Dark Link went back to the Dark Side, so he'll join us later." Allstar called back, "You're welcome to follow me to the Master Control Room, just don't hack anything!"

****

Master Control was a large room filled with large servers all running smoothly. Allstar walked cautiously past them, glancing back at Maverick often to see if he was trying anything odd with them. The captain scowled and folded his arms on his chest.

"I'm not doing anything!" he hissed as they made it to the end of the room. A frightened cry sounded and they stopped to see who it was.

Sitting at a computer was Advance Link, the hero in _Oracle of Ages_ and _Oracle of Seasons_. A ring of some kind was wound around his head and connected to the terminal. He had a startled expression on his face; his perfect, flawless face. Maverick scowled again. This Link was this world's version of himself...and he hated him already.

"Sorry, Aftermath. I didn't mean to get you scared." Allstar spoke softly, holding his hands up. Aftermath calmed and smiled shyly, then looked back at the screen, closing his eyes halfway as a series of files scrolled up at an incredible rate. "So what have you been doing?" Aftermath tilted his chin to the screen. "Those are the files on all the characters in Nintendo? You're searching for the suspected traitor?" Aftermath nodded slowly.

"Why won't he speak?" Maverick growled. Allstar sighed and looked back at him.

"He's suffering from the trauma of First Day. Ever since Nintendo was destroyed and everyone was killed, he had been withdrawn and unresponsive to me." he replied quietly, "Even after we restored the base and the characters with the Nintendo Backup System, he's never really come back to us. He had some scars on his face from one fight and we had those removed once everything was set up again, but the emotional ones are still there."

"So this Advance Link retreated into himself?" Maverick growled, "Pathetic." Aftermath Link blinked suddenly and the screen went blank. The boy took on an expression of sorrow and removed the ring from his head. He hopped down from his chair and looked up at Allstar.

"Done." he whispered and walked away, still pale and shaken from what he had discovered. Allstar Link cocked his head in confusion, then shrugged as he followed him out with Maverick, whipping out his phone to make calls again.

******

Nintendo Council Room

Nintendo Home Base

Game Realm

Time: 1300 hours

An hour later, the group of heroes found themselves in the council room of the Nintendo Home Base. Sitting at several podiums were the Allstars; Peach, Link, Dark Link, Donkey Kong and Aftermath Link. Above them were the Golden Mascots, Mario and Luigi. The other major characters and the alternate Links stood around the room, waiting for someone to speak.

"We had suspected for quite some time that there was a traitor in our midst, giving X Spirit the information to enter the base and wreak havoc on us." Mario began, "I asked Aftermath Link to seek out the traitor, as we all know that he is the greatest computer expert in the base. Our own little 'hacker' as you may think of him." The plumber looked down at the little elf, who got up from his seat and walked around to face him. "Reveal to us now, Allstar Aftermath Link, the identity of the traitor or traitors."

Aftermath Link nodded and looked again at Allstar, with the same sorrowful expression. Allstar furrowed his brows and lifted his head from his fist, blinking. He didn't like that look. Something wasn't right.

With a sigh, Aftermath Link headed for a small bin of toys and dolls. He rummaged around and pulled out a single plushie. Hugging it close to his body, he walked back to the center of the room and looked tearfully up at the other Allstars.

"Reveal the identity." Peach echoed Mario's words. Aftermath Link sniffed once, then brought forth the plush doll, holding it up for everyone to see.

It was a plush doll of a Link....


	15. The Loyalty of a Link Gone Wrong

The Day the Universes

  


Chapter Fourteen

  


  


Nintendo Prison Cells

Nintendo Home Base

Game Realm

Time: 1800 hours

  


Allstar gazed up at the ceiling of the prison cell, thinking about the events that led to his imprisonment. He clearly remembered the various characters surging forward after the announcement, grabbing him and Aftermath Link and hauling them down to the prisoners' wing of the base. He remembered his friends loudly protesting the captures and Dark Link being dragged away from him, kicking and screaming. Mario and Luigi were yelling for order, Luigi looking guilty at the fact that his brother was demanding the blonde Links be put into the most secure of the cells.

"Why? What makes everyone think that it was us blonde Links that betrayed Nintendo? We'd never do that!" he muttered softly and sat up as he heard a knock at the door. He hurried over and looked out the little barred window in the door. NES Link stood there, an expressionless look on his face. "Thank Miyamoto, you're here! What in the name of Nintendo's going on here?! You know we'd never betray the system!" Allstar cried. NES Link sighed and shrugged slightly.

"Not according to the files and evidence. Aftermath Link says a blonde Link is the one who is allowing X Spirit's Nintendo Hunters into the base. We had no choice but to put all of you in the prisons until we can figure out what to do." he remarked. "We're also not sure what to do about the FanFics you brought with you. We asked them to go back to their Authors, but they insist they don't know anything about them."

"Of course not! They're not FanFics!" Allstar cried, "They're real Links! The one that looks like me, the one with the Gilded Sword, he's the real deal! He really is Link!"

"You've been speeding around Center City again, your brain's gone to mush or something." NES Link muttered as the base suddenly shook, "What in the name of Entities was that?!" Alarms blared and the communications came on with a bolt of static.

"_All Nintendo characters report to your battle stations! Another wave of Hunters are attempting to breach the Famicom Caverns!_" GC Samus Aran declared, "_This is not a drill! Report to all battle stations and prepare for countermeasures!_" NES Link looked a little suspicious.

"Famicom Caves? But, only the pre-Millennium Links knew about the caves...." he murmured and looked at Allstar, "I'm off to help fight, but this is a new turn of events." With that, the redhead ran off to get back to his post.

  


"Everyone's going crazy!!!" Link wailed, hiding behind the sofa in the Zelda quarters as the other Nintendo Links, the ones still free, raced about to gather weapons and items. Maverick watched them and flipped open his SPC. Text scrolled up the screen quickly and he frowned.

"We're going to go and visit the pretty boy. Then we're getting Dark Link. I have an idea." he hissed and headed off, cape fanning behind him as he ran. Elfin, Waker, and Link all looked at each other, then raced after him.

"What?! What's going on?! What did you find out?" Elfin yelled out. Maverick led them deeper into the base as the building continued to shake and the alarms wailed louder.

"Zero sent a message! The figurine for this world is located about 200 miles to the northeast!" he called back, the group of elves racing down halls to the closed off sector of the base.

"So?!" Link exclaimed as they reached the doors that blocked their way into the prisoners' wing. Maverick plugged the SPC into the locking mechanism, plugged a strange cartridge into the computer and tapped it. The cartridge folded out and opened to reveal a tiny keyboard. Maverick raised his left hand and allowed the shadow power to reform his fingers to slender, nearly needle-point variations. He used them to type at the keyboard at incredible speeds.

"Forgive me, I fail to remember that you don't think like I do. 'Know thy enemies'. Microsoft Fortress is located at the area Zero described." he remarked as the lock smoked and popped open. "The figurine is at Microsoft Fortress."

"Oh, that's wonderful. So we're going to go to the one place everyone's afraid of to get rid of a doll?" Elfin growled. Waker winced as Maverick glared back at them, his hand reforming back into its normal shape.

"I fear no mere base. Only the Entity that inhabits that foul domain, and I can easily stay out of their reach." he growled and kicked the doors open, "Spread out! Find the morons!"

"I heard that." Allstar grumbled from behind the first door in the wing. Maverick ran up to it and motioned for a boost. Link picked him up and looked into the cell with him. Allstar sat on his cot, frowning, head resting on one fist. "You gonna bail me out or just gawk at me?" he drawled. Maverick snorted and hopped out of Link's arms.

"I should just flood your chamber with gas and put you out of your miserable existance. But then the Nintendo of this world would lose an Allstar and have all of its games that star you and Dark Link freeze up and fail." he muttered as he started to overload the lock on the cell door. It fizzled out and the door slid open.

"Thanks." Allstar muttered as he walked out, "Now let's free the others." Maverick rolled his eyes but walked on, opening the cell doors for WindWaker Link and Aftermath Link. The muted elf ran out and hugged Allstar tightly, sobbing with all his heart. "There, there. It's okay, Aftermath. We're okay, we're not mad at you." Allstar soothed the boy.

"So what now? We know where the figurine is, but even if you destroy it, who's to say that these guys won't just jail everybody again?" Waker asked worriedly. Aftermath pulled away from Allstar and waved his hands excitedly. "Huh?"

"I think he wants to tell us something." Elfin remarked and pulled out a notebook, "Okay, kid, spill." He handed the book and pencil to Aftermath and the group watched as the boy scribbled in it furiously. After a few minutes, during which the lights flickered a few times, he handed it up to Allstar Link and looked ashamed. Maverick glared at him, a lip curled in disgust. He still couldn't believe that this was an alternate version of himself.

"You had the data right and wrong at the same time?" Allstar asked the muted elf, "The first blonde elf betrayed us? But that's me! I'm the first blonde Link Nintendo ever created!" Aftermath shook his head furiously as Dark Link ran up to them from the hall.

"Hey, Bro. Soon as all Limbo broke loose I figured you'd make a move here." Dark Link greeted with a dry grin, "So how's about we grab my car and get outta here before we all die?"

"Hold on. We're onto something here." Link remarked as Aftermath pointed at his mouth. "At least, I think we are."

"Little Link, you're not making any sense." Allstar muttered as Maverick blinked a few times, thinking hard. He grinned suddenly then. He had the answer, now, would the others get it in time?

Aftermath looked exasperated and looked around. He spotted Waker and brightened. Jumping to him, he reached into the Hero of Winds' bag and pulled out a pink flower.

"Hey! I was supposed to give that to Tetra!" Waker declared as Aftermath crushed the petals and rolled them in his hands, "Hey!" The Links watched in confusion as Aftermath smeared the pink mush onto his lips, rubbing hard until his mouth was stained a bright pink color. He tossed the petals away and then struck a pose before the group, grinning openly at them.

"That looks so gay." Elfin grumbled. Allstar blinked at Aftermath for a moment, wondering what exactly he was doing, before gasping in realization.

"That's it!!" he cried. Everyone stared at him as if he had gone mad. "I'm not the first blonde Link!" Dark Link's eyes widened as he understood. "CD-i Link! He was the first one!"

"That explains the breach in security." NES Link's voice suddenly said. The heroes jumped and looked around warily. "Don't bother looking. I'm talking through Allstar's earring. I had forgotten about CD-i Link. He was pre-Millennial, but still blonde. He was supposed to usher in the new wave of Zelda games for Nintendo, but after the fiasco with Phillips, he was put in the Omega Vault. We thought he was destroyed, but apparently, we thought wrong."

"So we were set up?" WindWaker Link asked, scratching his head.

"Seems like it. The battles are getting rougher out here. I can't maintain contact with you and still keep fighting at my post." NES Link reported, "So, I can't report your little breakout." Allstar Link grinned and looked at his twin, who mirrored it exactly.

"Really? What a shame." Allstar said slyly.

"Yeah, real shame. So if you manage to get out of the base by way of the escape pod at the end of the next hall, I can't tell Allstar Mario about it." NES Link answered, a slight grin evident from his tone of voice.

"NES Link, man, I owe you one!" Allstar declared with a laugh.

"Yeah, I'll put it on your tab. Now hurry up and finish your mission! I'm running out of missiles!" NES Link replied and the connection broke. The group nodded at each other and ran on, Aftermath Link following them as WindWaker Link stood behind, confused.

"Who's CD-i Link?" he asked no one at all.

  


  


**********

  


Outside Nintendo Home Base

Game Realm

Time: 2200 hours

  


With the group strapped into the pod and the base fading into the distance, Allstar had time to relax a bit and think of a plan. The only snag he hadn't accounted for was Aftermath Link jumping into the pod with them and refusing to leave.

"And how are you to help us? You're a mute and a traumatized boy!" Elfin declared, "Not to mention your little stunt back there is making me question your sexuality." Aftermath shot him an angry glare and sat in his seat, nose turned up as he held out a white Game Boy Advance. Maverick gazed at it in momentary confusion, then shrugged.

"The Game Boy Advance Communicator. It was a good computer for me in my world, but I had to destroy it to complete the Nintendo Backup System." he remarked, "I suppose you intend to use it to help us hack into Microsoft Fortress's computer system and hunt down the figurine?" Aftermath nodded, locking eyes with him. "You do understand that I hate you as much as I hate these others, correct?" Aftermath Link only narrowed his eyes at him and for a long time, the two of them just stared at each other. Allstar Link and Dark Link were busy controlling the pod towards the Microsoft Fortress, but the other heroes were able to watch the events before them.

"Are they going to do this the whole way there?" Elfin grumbled and blinked as a small sound of discomfort was uttered. Maverick broke away and settled back in his seat, looking slightly paler than he had before. Aftermath continued to watch him.

"Something seems to be happening to them." Link murmured softly to Waker, who nodded in agreement.

"Enough!" Maverick snapped, whirling his head to glare pointedly at Aftermath, "I'll not listen to the ravings of a pathetic child like you!" Aftermath scowled and sat back, glaring out the window. The other heroes blinked in confusion.

"Hey! No fighting in the back or I swear I'll stop this thing and turn us around!" Allstar yelled. Dark Link groaned loudly and smacked his twin on the head, then rubbed his own as the connection between them transferred the pain over.

"He started it." Elfin declared, pointing at Aftermath, who sat up in surprise, looking down at the finger pointed at him.

"Nuh uh!" he replied and pointed at Maverick, who only flipped him off. Aftermath winced at the sight. Link and Waker scowled along with Elfin.

"Dirty gestures like that shouldn't be taught to children." Link muttered and cried sharply as an explosion rocked the pod and threw him back against his seat. The other Links also cried out in surprise and anger as Allstar struggled to bring the escape pod down for a safe landing.

"We've lost the right wing! Engines down to 45%! We're losing altitude!" Dark Link shouted over the wailing of sirens and the roaring of failing mechanics.

"Not like we had much altitude to begin with! The pods were designed to skim 700 feet above ground!" Allstar called back, flipping switches from overhead, "Prepare for a bumpy landing, everyone!" The pod was hit again and the left wing was blasted off as well as part of the hull. Link and Waker stared out in horror at the land outside as the smoke and flames licked at the ship.

Not far from them was a war between machine and characters, Hunters of all shapes and sizes attacking Nintendo characters viciously. Above the side of good were the Legendary Twins, lashing out over and over with lightning and a strange glittering mist. The two heroes watched it for only a moment before the pod shook again.

"We're going down! What the hell keeps hitting us?!" Allstar yelled as a blade soared by the pod. Link undid the straps to his chair and looked out at it, gripping the hull tightly. He watched it spin in the air like a boomerang, curve around and head straight for the pod.

"What in the name of Nayru's Love is that supposed to be?" he murmured and cried as Maverick grabbed the back of his belt and yanked him back into the pod as the blade whizzed by, narrowly missing decapitating him by a few seconds.

"Unless you want an early death, I suggest you stay in here." the captain snarled at Link and braced himself as the pod slammed into the ground. It dug out a trench some few yars long before finally stopping in front of the fortress. Allstar staggered into the back and took in the sight of battered heroes.

"Everyone okay?" he asked as Dark Link stumbled out and grabbed him for support. Elfin was slumped back against his seat. He stirred after a moment and glared up at Allstar with one eye shut.

"Remind me to write a speeding ticket for you. Gah, how the hell did you get your driver's liscense here?" he growled and rubbed his head, unhooking his straps. Aftermath shook his head and freed himself, giving Allstar a thumb's up after looking himself over.

"This was nothing compared to the crashed escape pod I was in when Nintendo Home Base exploded on my world." Maverick replied indifferently, calmly unhooking the straps from his seat and getting up. Link got up and fixed the bottom half of his tunic.

"I seem to be all right. But by the fires of Din, what attacked us?! It looked like a spinning blade!" he declared. Allstar looked confused as Waker got free and clung to Link.

"You almost got killed! Please be more careful!" he cried, "Don't die here, Hero!" Link looked surprised by the sudden embrace and gazed down at the younger Hero of Winds.

"I won't die here. I have to get home. I'll be more careful from now on." he promised him as the twins kicked open the door and jumped out of the pod. The others followed them out and looked around. Oddly enough, the base seemed deserted.

"I thought you said the figurine would be here."Elfin told Maverick, who only glared at a pair of figures shadowed by the massive fortress.

"It is. Look in front of you." Maverick hissed, folding his arms on his chest. The group looked at the direction he pointed out and froze. The two figures walked forward, revealing themselves to the band of heroes. Allstar instantly unsheathed his sword and the others followed suit. Aftermath ran aside, shaken by the display and hoping to stay out of the fight.

The figurine had four arms, each of them held a blade shaped like a boomerang. It was slender with a bulky chest to hold the arms, and a saucer-shaped head like a brass UFO. Next to the figurine was a Link, abnormally thin and wearing a metal mask around his head that completely covered his face, thin slits for his eyes, nose and mouth. The Link folded his arms over his chest and just looked at them.

"We meet at last, Ocarina." the new Link hissed hollowly from within the confines of his mask. Allstar gripped his sword tighter and bared his teeth, growling deep in his throat. "I see you've come to stop me and X Spirit from destroying Nintendo."

"What are you doing?! How dare you betray us! You were supposed to be locked up and in stasis in the Omega Vault!" Dark Link snapped, "Why in Realm are you helping our enemies?!"

"Revenge." the new Link said simply, "I found this contraption and sold it to X Spirit to use to power his new Nintendo Hunters. He wanted information to get them into the base. So I told him what I knew."

"Why?! What do you get out of this whole deal?!" Allstar barked, "CD-i, have you gone completely insane?!" CD-i Link slowly moved an arm to point at him.

"You, Ocarina, and your mentors and juniors. In exchange for my information, I was promised you and all the Links in Nintendo to do with as I please." he answered darkly. Dark Link glanced over at Aftermath, who shook and trembled, eyes wide. "However, I will call off the attack....for a price." CD-i Link added.

"Price?! What kind of price?! How dare a Link commit such heinous acts!" Link snapped as Elfin and Maverick prepared to whip out their guns.

"Why does he have that mask on?" Waker asked suddenly. Allstar glanced back at him and grinned cruelly.

"Because of his face. He was the ugliest Link ever created and rules are rules with Nintendo. _No Link may have a flawed face._So Mario had the Legendary Twins create a mask that was sealed over his face to prevent anyone from ever seeing it again. Nothing can break the seal except the Twins." Allstar replied, "He was supposed to be the first blonde Link, the star of the next series of Zelda games to launch Nintendo's newest system, but after that mess up, he was scrapped. I was created to replace him and took over _Ocarina of Time_, _Majora's Mask_, and _Super Smash Brothers_ on the Nintendo 64. That's why he keeps calling me Ocarina."

"What price?!" Dark Link yelled, "What do you want, you twisted elf?!" CD-i Link looked straight at Allstar, chuckling.

"Ocarina, I will stop the attack of the Nintendo Hunters, if you give yourself to me." he said with all seriousness. Allstar blinked and jerked slightly, dumbfounded by the offer.

"WHAT?!" the other Links roared in anger.

"You heard me! It's Nintendo's fault I look like this! That I was forced to become the black sheep of the Zelda series! Never to show my face or star in any new games!" CD-i Link snapped, "So if you want me to spare your precious home, Ocarina, give yourself to me! I've got a machine that will transfer my program into your body and I will truly become beautiful! Never again will I be doomed to hide behind this damnable mask!"

"Are you crazy?!" Allstar cried in shock and horror, "You want me to just give you my body?! Just like that?! What happens to the real me?! My program and memories?!"

"I have no need of them. They will go to my body. You can then spend your days, alive, but experiencing all I went through. The lessons will be good for you, Ocarina." CD-i Link replied, "So, do we have a deal? The lives of everyone at Nintendo or your perfect face and body...which is more important to you?"

"Don't do it, Allstar!" Link declared, "Think of what he could do with your face! He could do more evils and the name 'Link' would be forever sullied!" Allstar looked down at the blade of his Master Sword, staring at his reflection, the perfect flawless face. Which was worth more to him? He had his duty as an Allstar to do everything possible to ensure Nintendo's survival, but he didn't want to give up his freedom to be...himself.

"Bro, what are we going to do?" Dark Link whispered and blinked as Allstar straightened and sheathed the sword, "Brother?!"

"_'We are Nintendo; the luck of heaven. We do what we can, with what we have, and await the results. We are blessed with the luck of heaven. We are Nintendo. Nintendo shall endure.'_" Allstar said softly, his eyes closed, "Forgive me, Nintendo, I do what I must." He opened them and glared at CD-i Link, eyes glittering and filled with disgust at the traitor, at himself, and at Nintendo. "CD-i! I accept your terms! Call off the attack! I'm yours to do with as you wish!" he cried, holding up his hands in surrender. The others stared at him in shock and disbelief.

"NO!" Dark Link cried, "No, you can't do that! Link! I don't want to lose you!"

"What the hell's gotten into you?!" Elfin yelled angrily, "Don't give in to that perv!"

"No, no! What about keeping your name intact?! He'll destroy your reputation!" Link cried as Waker tried to run forward to stop him, only to be held back by Maverick.

"When will you learn not to forever put Nintendo before your own life?" Maverick hissed, "You're still pathetic. Nothing will change my mind about that. You just want the easy way out." Allstar pursed his mouth as he walked up to CD-i Link.

"Shut up! All of you! It's my choice! I'm not going to let my friends and family die because of me! Not back at the Master Tournament, not back at the Supreme Tournament, not now, not ever!" he finally yelled, ignoring the tears starting to stream down his face. Aftermath started sobbing, hugging himself as he watched the events.

"Nnnnn!" he struggled with himself, "No!" The group looked at him in surprise. "No! Link! Don't go away and leave me alone again! Don't die and leave me by myself! Please!" Aftermath cried, speaking more than he had ever spoken before, "Please, Link, don't leave us all like this! I love you too much to just let you throw yourself away to the bad guys like this! There's a better way to stop the Hunters! I know what to do!" Allstar Link stopped just in front of CD-i Link, looking back at him in shock and surprise.

"Little Link?" he murmured. Maverick pulled out the SPC, aimed it at the figurine and let it scan. He studied the readout and frowned. No real weakness. So who was best suited to battle this one, this Zita figurine?

"It's the machine next to him! I know how to destroy it! If it is destroyed, the Hunters will all self-destruct!" Aftermath declared, "I scanned it with my GBA Communicator while you guys were talking! I know it's weak point!" Maverick looked at him in mild surprise. What had the GBA picked up that the SPC didn't?

"You do?" Allstar remarked hopefully as CD-i Link raged suddenly and backhanded the hero.

"Shut up! You're still mine! And I'm not calling off the war! Nintendo will still be destroyed and I'll have a beautiful face!" he snapped as Allstar fell to the grass and Dark Link cried sharply with him, hand flying up to his injured cheek. "Zita! Attack that boy! Kill him!" CD-i Link ordered the figurine, pointing at Aftermath Link, then at the other elves. "Kill them all! Ocarina is mine! The others mean nothing!"

"NOO!" Allstar screamed, flipping over in attempts to get to his feet so he could fight the doll. The figurine jerked to life and flailed its arms suddenly.

"Zita! What are you doing?! I ordered you to kill those Links!" CD-i Link snapped just before one of Zita's arms swung by and sliced his neck cleanly in half with one of the blades it held. Aftermath and Waker screamed in horror as Link, Elfin, Dark Link and Allstar all yelled in shock and revulsion. Maverick watched the head roll away and frowned. That wasn't the end of CD-i Link, not by a long shot. Death hadn't stopped him before. It would only be a matter of time before another of CD-i's clones was activated and resumed his plans.

"Oh, Miyamoto!" Allstar moaned, face pale as he scrambled back to join his brother. "I'm going to have nightmares forever about that!" Zita flailed even more, then began running around. The heroes immediately resumed battle stances, trying to figure out how to strike the doll without winding up like the recently beheaded CD-i Link.

"How the hell do we attack this thing?!" Elfin yelled out, watching its movements and dodging it as it berserked and lashed out at random. It paused, then suddenly made a beeline for Aftermath Link, who froze and screamed. Allstar and Dark Link spotted it and shrieked, racing forward to help him. Maverick spun around and watched them, wide-eyed.

"NO!" Allstar and Dark Link both yelled, throwing themselves forward to cover Aftermath Link with their bodies. Time seemed to slow down for the young captain as he witness the blades come down on the two Allstars, cutting into their backs and letting blood gush out, the screams of the twin elves bringing forth a rush of memories.

Blood everywhere, like the blood soaked ground where Allstar Link was murdered in his world long ago, X-Bronto pumping his mentor full of bullets while Dark Link faked an escape with a pair of backpacks disguised as Advance Link. Both of them dead because X Spirit wanted the power of the Twins for itself, wanted the technology of the GameCube for itself. Both of them dead, leaving him all alone in a cold cruel world. And they were about to die again, leaving his alternate alone.....

"What the hell is he DOING?!" Elfin suddenly screamed as Maverick shrieked madly and raced at Zita, both Master Swords drawn, "GET BACK HERE!"

Maverick heard nothing, all he knew was to destroy the machine before him, destroy it and save a world, save a boy, from the pain and torment he had gone through. Swords and blades clashed and sparked as the the two fought viciously, like animals, in close combat, never parting, only fighting. Aftermath Link lay under the bodies of his mentors, sobbing piteously as they bled heavily. The twins struggled to stay alive, softly crying in pain as they continued covering Aftermath, continued protecting him, even as the two berserkers rampaged nearby, the heroes of three other worlds helpless to do anything but watch as Maverick and Zita lost themselves to the battle, to the bloodshed, to the madness of war.....


	16. Rage of the Consumed

_Tears of the Innocent_

  


  


_Outside Center Chaos_

_Game Realm_

_Time: Unknown_

  


  


_"This is it. This is all we can do to ensure the survival of Nintendo, and our world. We must do it." Allstar N64 Link told his twin brother as the tiny group of surivors huddled in the hill of debris, hiding from the Hunter that raged outside in its search for them. Advance Link looked up at them and his friend Advance Yugi Motuo, fearing what the future had in store._

_"We're going to die here, aren't we? Just like MegaMan and Sonic and Nayru! We're going to die and that's the end for all of us! For Nintendo!" he cried._

_"We're not going to lose to X Spirit that easily. As long as you live, we have a chance. We're going to make sure you have that chance a little longer." Dark Allstar N64 Dark Link declared and nodded to his brother. The group held hands and bowed their heads, closing their eyes._

_"We are Nintendo, the luck of heaven. We do what we can, with what we have, and await the results. We are blessed with the luck of heaven. We are Nintendo. Nintendo will endure." Allstar Link prayed softly as the others echoed the words. He released the hands and knelt in front of his junior. "Little Link, be brave. What we are about to do is to help you survive. Don't move from this cave." he told him, tears starting to well in his eyes, "Don't ever give up, no matter what. We believe you can save us all one day!"_

_"What are you saying? You sound like you're going to leave me alone!" Advance began to cry, "What's going on?!" Dark Link put together a pair of backpacks and covered it with a blanket, then took Advance's hat and pulled it down over the end of the pack. He picked it up and held it as if he were carrying the little elf._

_"Little Dark, you have an army within you! I know that you'll do us all proud! Use what you know and what you can do to your advantage and Nintendo will become unstoppable!" Dark Link added with a tearful smile, "I know you can do it! You can save us!"_

_Yugi nodded eagerly as he pulled out his last five Duel Monster Cards, the rest destroyed in the blast that razed Nintendo Home Base. "Don't take too long to resurrect me, Advance Link! We're counting on you to bring us all back!" he said with a forced laugh._

_"Shadow Links! Make sure he stays in this cave!" Dark Link ordered his servants and moved his hand to his ear. He removed one silver earring and knelt down before Advance Link, deftly attaching it to his right ear, the left had one of Allstar Link's earrings in it, "To remember me by. Represent the two sides of Nintendo to all who see you. The Hero and the Dark, we're all counting on you."_

_"Let's go!" Allstar Link declared and ran out of the cave, Master Sword ready for battle with the X-Bronto that stomped around, the huge black dinosaur still hunting for its prey._

_"For our world! For the world of games and the Realm of Humanity!" Dark Link added, running out with the packs in arms._

_"For the future!" Yugi cried, running out with them, "I summon the Dark Magician! Attack the Nintendo Hunter!"_

_"No! Don't go out there! You'll all die!" Advance Link screamed as he tried to chase them. The shadows grabbed him and held him back, held him as he listened to the sounds of battle, the screams of pain and finally, the deadly sounds of machine gun fire, the victory scream from the Hunter and the awful silence that followed its departure from the scene. The shadows released him then and Advance Link raced out, stumbling as his gaze fell upon the bloodied figures that lay broken and lifeless on the ground. Allstar Link's face turned to the sky, the front of his tunic riddled with holes and covered with deep crimson. Rains poured down as Advance stood there in silence, staring down at his dead mentor; Dark Link, King of the Dark Side of Nintendo upon King Bowser's death, lay not far from them, dead the moment Link breathed his last. Yugi's battered remains not too far either, the Dark Magician torn to shreds and vanishing like mist._

_"Noooooo!" Advance Link screamed to the heavens as he dropped to his knees before his mentors, "NOOOOOO!!!" And the heavens wept with him, wept for the loss of their children, the loss of the luck of heaven, the death of Nintendo...._


	17. Battle of the Berserkers

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Fifteen

  


  


Outside Microsoft Fortress

Game Realm

Time: 2250 hours

  


"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap...." Elfin murmured, eyes wide as he watched the battle go on before him. Link gripped his sword and trembled angrily. He had tried to go in to help, but Maverick suddenly shrieked in a mix of pain and rage as a blade hit his shoulder and then lashed back with the twin Master Swords with such a fury that it forced him to fall back and rethink his plans.

"Will you stop saying that?!" Waker demanded of the agent. Elfin shook his head quickly, gaze never straying from the duel.

"C-can't! That's what I'm gonna do if this keeps up!" he stammered. Waker cocked his head in confusion. "Crapcrapcrapcrap!" Link glanced back at him and rolled his eyes, then hurried cautiously over to the Allstar twins still covering Aftermath Link. The two were in extreme pain, nearly unconscious from the blood loss and still they clung to the little elf beneath them, defending him.

" Allstar! Dark Link! What can I do to help you?! You could be dying right now!" Link cried. Allstar looked up at him from over his shoulder, eyes half closed and face pale.

"N-nothing c-can b-be done. Until M-maverick stops Zzzita, we w-won't leave Little L-link." he struggled to say as Aftermath Link cried softly, his little face stained with tears and blood from his mentors. Link looked down at them sorrowfully and turned back to watch the battle, still thinking through his options of helping Maverick or the twins behind him.

  


Maverick weaved about, slashing and hacking with the two legendary swords, screaming intelligibly. Wild-eyed and covered in blood and oil, he pressed on, only shrieking louder when he was hit by a blade. Whether he cared that he was being stabbed and cut, no one knew. Whether he even knew he was being hit as badly as Zita was, only Maverick knew. And he was too deep in memories and rage to speak. Elfin sank to his knees and sat back hard, seemingly in trauma.

"They're going to die, both of them." he whispered, "They're berserkers and evenly matched in their madness." Waker looked at him in horror. "This is a fight to the death, and no one will win it."

"Can't you contact Zero and ask for help?! Don't just sit there!" Waker shouted angrily. Elfin blinked and pulled out the laptop, opening it and clicking on a shortcut to Zero's computer in the other dimension. The Watcher's face appeared on the screen, looking grim.

"I wondered when you'd finally call. I'm watching everything from here." he said quietly.

"Is there anything you can do? Anything we can do? We can't let Maverick die helping this world!" Waker pleaded over Elfin's shoulder. Zero thought about it for a moment.

"There is something. The reason for Maverick's way of life is very simple, even if it is complex looking. He rejected the part of himself that is Link through and through." he said slowly, "As long as he doesn't accept that he is still a Link, even though he is Maverick, he will not come through any of his battles with a respect for life. Why else does he not care about life in general? Because he rejected the part of him that wants to protect life, to not fail in his duty to protect life."

"Links don't lose." Elfin said flatly, "Is that it? The inner voice in all of us that tells us that Links never fail?" Zero nodded.

"That voice in each of you is what urges you on to fight for a better life for others. Each mission and quest a Link gets spurs the voice, 'Don't fail. Don't lose.' Not just a warning, it's a promise to oneself." he added.

"Maverick ignores it. Why?" Waker asked himself.

"You may find out soon enough, if he survives this battle. Just help him remember who and what he is. He's a Link, he's a hero, and heroes, Links, don't fail." Zero replied. Waker closed his eyes halfway and Elfin blinked, seeing a mirror image of the true Link overlapping the Hero of Winds.

"_I failed in my duties. Explain that, Watcher._" the voice of another, older Link spoke through Waker's mouth.

"Ah, Link, I wondered when you'd awaken again. How's everything in the afterlife?" Zero asked and coughed lightly, "Ah well, you didn't fail. Not really. Your ultimate mission was to produce a son that would continue your bloodline until Waker here was born to carry on your destiny and fulfill his own. Your murder was a most unfortunate accident due to my absence. I'm afraid that was my fault. I was hoping you'd grow old and die in Hyrule after living out the rest of your life in peace."

"_War or peace, death by battle is still a far better way to die than just allowing my body to shrivel and waste away. Even if my murder allowed Ganondorf to be free, I refuse to change that past, or allow Waker to do so. The duties I meant was in that to Malon._" Link growled through Waker's body.

"Oh, in that case, you didn't fail. She was saved because she carried your child, so the Goddesses helped her escape and let her live quite comfortably in a new land." Zero cleared up.

"_Then my soul is at peace with the knowledge. I thank you, Watcher._" Link murmured and the image overlap faded. Waker looked drained and collapsed beside Elfin.

"Waker!" he cried.

"Never mind him! He'll be fine! Hurry! Help Maverick realize that he's still a Link!" Zero shouted. Elfin closed the laptop and jumped to his feet.

"Maverick!" he shrieked.

  


The captain folded both swords down and spun, slicing into Zita with both Master Swords in his Master Field Attack. Blood ran like rivers from his shoulders and side, but still he fought on. Once he heard someone shout his name, but he ignored it. He had nothing to live for, and all to die for. He would fight this monstrosity and prove that he, like everything he had known, would be destroyed and forgotten.

  


"What is that fool thinking?" Link murmured, watching Elfin yelling maniacally at the dueling berserkers. He perked an ear and looked back at Allstar, who shifted and coughed, a splatter of scarlet landing on his arm. "Allstar? How are you and Dark Link holding up?"

"My insurance is going to skyrocket after this." Allstar said in a whisper, "But to hell with their interest, Aftermath Link is more important. I can't let him die."

"What about Maverick?" Link asked, kneeling next to him and removing Allstar's hat to use as padding to stop the bleeding.

"He's still a Link, why else would he be with us on this Programmer-forsaken quest?" Allstar breathed, gazing into his twin's face, Dark Link had closed his eyes and gone limp, but whether he was still alive remained unknown. "Links...don't...fail. I won't fail Nintendo or myself.... Maverick can't fail himself or his friends, whoever they may be. He still has loved ones. If Aftermath became Maverick, I'd still love him and protect him." Allstar murmured and nuzzled the little elf who still sniffled and sobbed quietly.

"Links don't fail. Links never lose." Link murmured and nodded, resuming his watch.

  


"Maverick! You're still a Link! You can't deny who you are anymore! You've got to accept it! You were born a Link and that is how you will act for life!" Elfin shouted as Maverick pressed closer to Zita, slashing and whirling the blades of the Master Swords to create spinning disks of death, "You're a Link! No matter what you do to yourself to change it, deep down, you're a Link at heart!"

  


Maverick heard his name again, faintly. The clashing of blades and the scent of blood, the sounds of screams from himself and Zita nearly drowned it out. But he also heard another name, one that he very distantly knew as his own.

  


"You're a Link! You'll always be Link! Advance Link! Don't let the madness destroy you! You're stronger than that! You're better than that!" Elfin continued to yell.

"Urgh, tell him to shut up, I want to sleep." Dark Link grumbled and Link immediately switched the soaked hat over to stop up his wound, "Ow! That hurts!"

"Dark Link...hold on...." Allstar murmured faintly. Dark Link glanced at him and smiled weakly.

"You hold on. If you die, we both die, remember? We're still connected, whatever happens to you is copied to me, but if I die, I die alone and you'll remain alive." he whispered.

"You're a Link, Maverick! You hear me?! A Link! You're Advance Link! Don't deny it anymore!" Elfin shrieked louder.

  


Maverick heard the name again as he slashed off one of Zita's arms. Did that cop just call him 'Link'? Why? Didn't he just get through telling them all he wasn't Link? No time for thoughts. Zita recovered quickly and began dancing all around him, blades flashing and speeding around him. A new cut opened on his arm. The painted Angel's Armor he wore worked furiously to close the deadly wounds, ignoring the minor ones until after the work was completed.

  


"Links don't fail! That's why you work so hard to be good at what you do! You know you're a Link and Links never lose!" Elfin yelled at him.

  


Maverick gasped and leaped back from Zita to get a bit of breathing room. In the depths of his maddened mind, he clearly heard Elfin's voice and the message he cried out.

"Links...never...fail?" he murmured and blinked. Was that why he refused to accept defeat? Why he pressed on despite the odds and the pain? Why he continued to search the stars for a way to restore those who were stolen from him? Gritting his teeth, Maverick leaped at Zita again.

"I am Elle Maverick! Captain of the _Elfin Phoenix_! But I am also Allstar Advance Link of the Game Boy Color and Advance!" he howled and lashed out with the swords at the remaining three arms Zita possessed. "And Links...!" Slash! One arm came off! "Don't!" Shing! Another arm came away as Zita screeched mechanically. "Fail!" Maverick finished, slicing off the last arm before twirling the Master Swords and driving them both into Zita's belly. The doll shook madly, then fell limp. Maverick kicked it off of his swords and looked back at the stunned group, a strange expression on his face. He looked as if he longed for something. Suddenly, he sighed and closed his eyes, sinking to the grass from exhaustion and blood loss.

Allstar's earring began to speak again, the two way microphone reactivated.

"Allstar Link! The Hunters all just self destructed! You did it!" NES Link exclaimed. Link called into the ring.

"Sir! Allstar and Dark Link are hurt really bad! And Maverick is injured gravelly as well! We need help!" he cried.

"I'm going to open a portal in front of you to our medical bay! Get them in there as fast as you can! Thank you for your help! Nintendo owes its continued existence to you heroes!" NES Link declared as a blue warp bloomed open near them. Link and Elfin struggled to heft up Allstar and Dark Link while Waker, who recovered in time to see Zita's end, picked up Maverick with Aftermath's help. They hurried into the portal, leaving behind the bloodied battlefield.

  


**********

  


Nintendo Medical Bay

Nintendo Home Base

Game Realm

Time: 2430 hours

  


N64 Dr. Mario wiped his hands off and sighed as he looked up at the three capsules. Each one held a Link, each working furiously to repair and regenerate the heroes, from healing scars and wounds to pumping fresh blood into them.

"Well, that's that. They should be done in about an hour. I tried to repair the scars on that kid's face, but nothing's working." he remarked. Aftermath Link walked up to his alternate counterpart and placed a hand on the glass.

"Because he wants the scars." he said quietly. He turned to the stunned group. "He wants to keep the scars on his face to be different, but also to remember what happened. He wants to be reminded of his losses and to remind others of them. So it doesn't happen again. That's why he redid his own program to say that the scars are part of his flawlessness." he explained.

"Then they're permanent? His Nintendo must not like that one bit." Dr. Mario muttered as the other Links sat back in plastic chairs, waiting for the capsules to drain of liquid, a sign that they were done with healing.

"He doesn't care what Nintendo thinks. And they tolerate it but only because he allowed them to clone him to create Neo Advance Link." Aftermath Link replied.

"How the heck do you know all this?" Elfin muttered. The little elf grinned slightly.

"He's an alternate me, right? I linked our minds together on that pod and tried to talk to him about what was going on. That's why he yelled at me. We're still linked. He's just telling me his life story." he answered, "Censored, of course, but I get the gist of it."

The pod containing Maverick drained and the little elf dropped to the bottom of the tube, wires and tubes, pulling away from him as he gasped for air, his first chance to breathe since reactivating the program that prevented him from inhaling the regeneration liquid and relied on oxygen brought in through the tubes to survive. Dr. Mario looked a bit surprised.

"What? I heal fast." Maverick grumbled as he stood up, naked, from the tube's base as the glass containment lifted up and away, "In my world, either you heal fast, or you never heal again."

"Get some clothes on him, please?" Link asked, wincing, "I mean, it just seems wrong to see a younger version of all of us just standing there naked as the day he was born." Elfin leaned back in his chair as Glitter, his fairy, sat on his head, giggling her head off.

"You think that's bad, my fairy here's going gaga over the fact that she can see Allstar and Dark Link butt naked too." he growled, "Glitter, shut up. Go play with that other fairy over there."

"Navi?!" Link exclaimed in surprise as the blue ball of light flew past them and up to Dr. Mario.

"Is he gonna be okay?! Is he?! Hey! Listen! Is my partner gonna be all right?!" Navi yelled as Dr. Mario blinked.

"I said give him an hour to heal, Navi." the plumber turned doctor replied flatly.

"Navi! Is that really you?! Did you come here when you left me?" Link called out and Navi turned to him.

"Huh? Who're you? You must have me mistaken for another Navi. I'm N64 Navi, partner to Allstar Link. And I'm not supposed to reveal why I left him at the end of the game. It's supposed to be there for you Players to wonder about." she replied, "Of course, that spawns a lot of FanFics about my whereabouts and Link's adventures finding me and all, but what can I do? Nintendo doesn't regulate FanFics."

"Oh." Link replied somewhat glumly as Waker pat his arm comfortingly.

"I'm sure she still thinks about you, wherever she is, Hero." he said with a smile, "You two were good friends, so I bet she's thinking good things about you right now!" Link smiled and nodded, happy with the comforting message.

"So what was Zita's weakness, Aftermath?" Elfin asked the little elf who watched his alternate self redress in another suit of black armor.

"Zita berserked, so did Maverick. A berserker can only be fought by another berserker, but the winner is the one who has a method to his madness. Since Zita had nothing to fight so madly for, it was inevitable that it would lose." he replied and smiled at him, "And, please, call me Advance Link." With that, he left the medical bay, cheerful and pleased with how events turned out.

  


An hour passed and, as promised, the twin elves were freed from the capsules and quickly dressed in fresh clothes. They had to meet with Allstar Mario after equipping, though, about the mission and the breakout.

"So you're traveling to other worlds to straighten out messes caused by an omnipotent being?" Mario asked after all was said and done. The Links nodded. "Sounds familiar. I'm docking the blonde Links a hundred dollars pay for the rest of the week, but that's all. I could have done worse for the breakout, but since your friend there helped save us all from Limbo, I'll just leave it at that."

"A hundred dollars?!" Allstar wailed, "But...money!!!" Dark Link whacked him over the head, then rubbed his own.

"I thought I told you to quit whining about your bank account! You can earn it all back through _Majora's Mask_!" he growled. Mario grinned and shook his head.

"I can't believe CD-i Link would do this to us. I guess we never had time to teach him what it's like to be a Nintendo character, about the rules and regulations enforced on us by the Programmers and Players." he sighed. "Oh well. You have my permission to continue your quest. Just maintain contact with us with the beacons. Good luck, all of you."

"Hey, we're Nintendo! Luck is our middle name!" Allstar declared with a grin and a thumb's up. Maverick snorted at that but said nothing. Waker pulled out the IDG but Elfin held out a hand.

"Hey! Hold on! I'm still stumped about the way things work here! Dark Link, you said you'd tell me about the hierarchy here." he demanded, "So what's up with it? Why listen to a fat little plumber?" Allstar scowled.

"Hey, Mario's cool with us, don't call him that, even if it's true." he replied and received another smack from his twin. Dark Link rubbed his head as he explained the status to the police officer.

"In Nintendo, there are levels to each character. The bottom level is Standard, your everyday characters, like Navi over there. A step up from that is Darkstar, like Ganondorf. A Darkstar is a Dark Side's version of a well known character. Every Allstar automatically has their villain, their foe, become a Darkstar. Above Darkstar is King of Darks, and Bowsers are always King of Darks, until N64 King Bowser named me his heir. When he retires, I'll become King of Darks." Dark Link explained.

"I thought you were a Dark Allstar." Link pointed out.

"I'm getting to it. Above King of Darks is Allstar, like my brother and Luigi and Peach. They're the most well known characters, the most popular of their generation. Above Allstar is the ultimate level, Golden Mascot. Only Mario and Luigi can be Golden Mascot, no one else can achieve that rank. They were the ones who made Nintendo what it is, so the title is theirs." Dark Link answered, "Dark Allstar is my title, equal to the Allstars. But I'm a Dark Side character and Allstars are Hero Side titles. So the Nintendo Twins created the title Dark Allstar for me when I proved I had Hero qualities."

"Darkstar and King of Darks are Dark Side titles. And Allstar and Golden Mascot are Hero Side titles. So...Golden Mascot is like King of Nintendo for you people, that's why you obey this guy?" Elfin asked, jerking his thumb at Mario. The twins nodded. "Ah, okay. Weird, but I get ya."

"Anymore questions?" Allstar asked. The heroes shook their heads. "Okay, then. We're ready for the next world!"

"Hold your breath." Maverick grumbled as he placed a hand on Waker's shoulder. The other heroes closed the ring and the IDG flashed, transporting them all to the next dimension and time. Mario sighed and watched the light fade.

"Come back to us soon. _Soul Calibur_ is going to be launching very soon now. We can't afford to let that game freeze." he murmured and left the conference room.


	18. Voices of the Dead

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Sixteen

  


  


_The Legacy of Links_

Game Realm _P.C._

Time: 0200 hours

  


  


Maverick scowled as the other Links lay on the floor of his ship, gasping and sweating. Allstar and Dark Link looked as if they had just seen a ghost, Waker's eyes were far larger than normal (but then they had always been a bit big for him), and both Link and Elfin had their hands locked in claw positions.

"I told you to hold your breath." Maverick pointed out.

"You didn't say we'd emerge **_in the middle of freakin' outer space_**!" Allstar Link shrieked once he had enough oxygen to do so. Maverick shrugged. "You could have shared the fact that your shadow-mist ability allowed you to survive in space without air, too!!!"

"I could give you the same power, but I'd have to cut off one of your body parts to make the transfer." Maverick murmured, "Like that useless blob sitting on the top of your neck."

"Can you feel the love here?" Dark Link grumbled as he slowly got to his feet, "I'm just glad that you decided to be so kind as to share the power with us for the brief seconds it took to keep us alive long enough to get in here!"

"Where are we anyway?" Waker asked, rubbing his eyes as the other heroes began to recover and stand up. Maverick looked around him and gazed at a single golden triangle that shone on a nearby wall.

"This is my base of operations, the mothership called _The Legacy of Links_. I simply call it _Legacy_. This is my home." he replied and began to walk off, "Zee! Status report! You five had better step to it, I'm not running a hotel here."

_"Welcome home, Captain Maverick. The Legacy of Links has sustained minor hull damage on the port side, Decks Three Alpha to Four Beta have lost electrical power. The Elfin Phoenix has been recovered. Starboard wing has been lost and there are major damages to the starboard side."_ a computerized female voice announced over the PA system. Link blinked a bit. It sounded a lot like Zelda's voice!

"Repair status!" Maverick ordered as he led the group down a hall. The voice continued.

"_Repairs on The Legacy of Links are 75% complete. Repairs on the Elfin Phoenix are 35% complete. You have a recorded message from Captain N and Lieutenant GCN."_ Zee replied. Maverick stopped and frowned.

"Something is wrong. Captain N and his sister never contact me unless there is something they can not handle." he muttered, "Zee, play message."

"_Maverick! You've got to get this message! It's Nin and Tendo! I don't know what's wrong but....OH MY GOD! Hard to port! Hard to port! We need backup! Maverick! Get here as fast as you can! If you're alive and receiving, get to the Planet of Powers! SEGA!! NOOOO! Tendo, you heartless bastard! You've murdered your own girlfriend in cold blood, you backstabbing son of a...AAAAAGGH!"_ The message ended in static as Allstar and Dark Link covered their mouths in horror. The other Links looked startled, then turned to Maverick for an explanation. Maverick stared at the floor, a strange expression on his face.

"Zee, time-stamp on the message." he whispered.

_"Time-stamp: Message received P.C. 2735, 1500 hours."_

"How long have I been MIA?"

_"Contact was lost P.C. 2730. Contact resumed P.C. 2740."_ Zee answered. Maverick closed his eyes and let out a shaky sigh. "_You have additional messages. Playback?"_

"Yes." Maverick murmured and opened a room in the hall, "You five can take any of the rooms in this hall for the duration of our time here. Don't expect anything fancy. This is not a luxury ship. The _Legacy_ was designed for combat."

"What happened? Who's Captain N? I thought he was just a stupid TV show! When did Tendo and Sega hook up? What's going on here?!" Allstar barked questions, looking more and more frantic with each one.

"It sounds like the Twins went crazy! But, how?! What could have done it?!" Dark Link cried.

"I give you three guess what did it and the first two don't count." Elfin remarked pointedly as Link looked down at his boots and then looked up again with a grim expression.

"The figurine of this world." he hissed, "This is crueler than anything Ganondorf could think up. Using a world's gods and goddesses against their people, nothing can be more despicable than that!"

"What are we gonna do? I saw them using lightning back in the other world! The Storm King's Bolero won't work on anything that's not wind!" Waker cried, hands clasped together to keep from letting them shake.

"_Message playback."_ Zee began and the messages came in, one after another. "_Maverick, if you can hear this, we are in a dire situation. The Nintendo Twin have gone mad. They've completely destroyed the Mario Homeworld and are proceeding to burn every other world they come across."_ the voice of SNES Sigma said, shakily, "_Reports are coming in that they'll be heading for the MegaMan world next. Everyone's trying to evacuate, but we don't have enough ships for it. They blasted as many ships as they've created for us. I'm guessing only one third of the population will be saved. Considering how few of us are there to begin with, that won't be many. Please, warn the others, save the others. We can't survive an attack like this."_

"_This is GBA Samus! Oh jeez-us! Those Twins move like light! One second here, the next there! Sega's still alive, but barely! Oh Yokoi, save me, please! Maverick! Get your butt in gear and help us out! The Twins will kill us all! Agh! I lost sight of Tendo! Where is he?! GB Samus, where is he?! Oh noooo! Shields! Raise the- KEEEESH!!"_

_ "This is Sony Song. Greetings, Elle Maverick, I must implore you to stop my mother and father from destroying a beautiful realm and all of their children. I can not bring myself to harm them and as such I have decided to entrap my worlds in a protective shield. I will be unable to move while generating this shield, and so I beg of you! Stop Mother and Father! Stop Nin and Tendo from destroying us all! They are far too powerful now for even I to battle!"_

_ "This is Allstar N64 Link of the battle cruiser, The Reality64, flagship of the Shigeru Armada. Report to the Zelda Homeworld ASAP. We have come up with a plan to stop the Twins and need your aid."_

"That's me?" Allstar murmured in confusion, "I sound weird."

"He sounds as if he's tired of the battles. I can relate to that." Link sighed, "Imagine having to battle the gods and goddesses that created you, gave you life. That would make anyone sound very weary after a few fights."

"Zee, plot a course to the Zelda Homeworld. Continue repairs." Maverick ordered and ran his hand through his hair, "Nin, what are you and your brother doing? You were always so gentle and sensible..."

  


  


******

  


  


_The Legacy of Links_

Game Realm _P.C._

Time: 1600 hours

  


The heroes slept soundly in their rooms as the ship sailed onwards through the stars to its destination. Allstar remained awake, however, staring up at the ceiling as he thought over what he learned. Nin and Tendo? Destroying everything they worked so hard to protect? What kind of powers must the figurine have, if it could drive the Legendary Children of Nintendo into a killer insanity?

His ears perked up as he heard footsteps in the hall. Scrambling out of bed, he opened the metal door and peeked out. Maverick walked down the hall and the once harsh lights overhead were now a soft glow, lighting the cream walls and creating the illusion of a tomb-like corridor. Moving quietly, Allstar went around and woke the other heroes. He shushed them when they tried to gripe about the rude awakening and followed Maverick to a large set of double doors. Maverick stood waiting, frowning at them. He held a shallow bowl of rice and a pair of roses in his hands.

"You're so pathetic when it comes to stealth maneuvers." he growled, "I heard you coming a mile away. Allstar, you breathe too damn hard." Link snickered as Allstar turned red. "It may work wonders on Zelda, but try not to get horny over everything with long legs and boobs."

"What is this?" Elfin asked, trying to change the subject. He waved his hand at the double doors. The doors had the symbols of the Triforce engraved on each one. Maverick looked up at it and sighed.

"This is the Sanctum. I was about to enter it when you lamers barged in on me. It's my daily ritual." he replied flatly.

"Ritual of what?" Waker asked, blinking up at the Triforce symbols. Maverick growled and rolled his eyes.

"If you're so damn eager to know, you may as well follow me in. But once we step beyond those doors, you must remain absolutely quiet. No sounds come out of your mouths, or my Twin Master Swords will make sure you speak in soprano for the rest of your lives." he threatened coldly and turned around. "Sanctum, open." The doors slowly parted and allowed them to enter.

  


The Sanctum was a large room filled with candles, hundreds of them, all glowing softly. The room didn't have much else, except for a pair of capsules at the far end of the room. The capsules were hooked up to a pair of computers that hummed softly as they performed their mysterious duties. The Links followed Maverick as he walked carefully and quietly to the capsules. Set before the capsules was a small table with a photograph on it. Maverick set the bowl of rice before the photo and laid the roses down on either side of it, a white rose on the left side, a black rose on the right. He stepped back and gazed up at the capsules. Then he began to speak softly.

"_We were Nintendo, betrayed by heaven. We did what we could, with what we had and died as a result. We were denied the grace of heaven. We were Nintendo; X-Box will pay._" he recited in a cold voice. Allstar glared at him in a fury. He was about to speak when Dark Link nudged his shoulder. Looking back at him, Allstar noticed the pale expression on his twin's face. Dark Link pointed at the capsules and he looked up to see what had shocked the other Links.

In the capsule on the left was yet another Link, suspended in a blue liquid that glowed with the light of the base of the machine. The front of his tunic was stained a dark color and riddled with holes. The Link had his eyes closed, tubes and wires connected to his body as the computer next to him continued its work. In the capsule on the right was a copy of Dark Link, in the same shape as his twin.

Allstar Link uttered a small cry and stepped back in horror. Maverick looked over his shoulder, glaring at him. Unable to look at the bodies any longer, Allstar fled the room, soon followed by the other heroes. Maverick remained in the Sanctum, gazing up at his long dead mentors with the same longing expression he had in the previous world.

  


"Wh-what the hell was that?! He's got a dead me and a dead you in there!" Allstar shrieked at his twin once he got his voice back. Dark Link shrugged, lost for words as the other heroes stood waiting for Maverick. The captain finally appeared and closed the Sanctum's doors. "You sick, twisted bastard! Why are they in there?!" Allstar demanded of the elfin captain.

"I'm keeping them suspended in Limbo until I find a way to revive them. I have their memories and programs in me, frozen just before First Day, and I exhumed their bodies before the Collision destroyed the Game Realm. I'm searching for the Source of Souls." Maverick replied simply, "If I can find it, I can use it to restore Allstar Link and Dark Link's souls, reload their memories and programs and my mentors, the true Link and Dark Link, will be brought back from the dead and returned to me."

"Why? Why not let them rest in peace?" Link pleaded, "They've done their part in helping the world, please let them have their deserved rest!"

"They were stolen from me in the prime of their lives! I will not allow them to stay in Limbo while their copies run around ruining themselves in their name!" Maverick snapped.

"You do know that keeping the dead like that is extremely illegal, right?" Elfin remarked.

"You're not in your jurisdiction, Officer." Maverick growled, "I'm keeping them on board this ship, which was named in their honor, until I find the Source of Souls. I don't care if it takes me to the end of my life, I will resurrect them and I'll have my family back!" He turned around and whistled sharply. "Pichu! Come!"

A tiny yellow and black mouse came scampering down the hall from another part of the ship. It skidded to a halt before Maverick and jumped up onto its hind legs, waving its paws joyfully.

"_Pichu!_ Maverick! Good to see you!" Pichu said cheerfully. Maverick nodded and pointed at the Sanctum's doors. "Guard Sanctum! Got it!" Pichu ran up to the doors and sat down in front of it, promptly falling asleep and snoring softly.

"That should keep it safe from you five." Maverick murmured. Allstar blinked at him as if he were mental.

"A sleeping Pichu is going to keep five Links out of a room? How do you figure that?" he asked.

"Swords and shields conduct electricity very well." Pichu murmured in his sleep, "Especially Master Swords, they were designed to channel energy."

"Ah, right." Dark Link murmured, "Same goes for my Mirror Sword, it's a copy of the Master Sword."

"And what's up with that weird prayer? 'Betrayed by heaven'? When did that happen?!" Allstar snapped. Maverick shook his head.

"Enough! Get to bed! We'll be arriving at the Zelda Homeworld in three hours and I don't need you whiny pretty boys messing things up here!" he snapped and stomped away. Waker hugged Link's arm.

"Don't die here, too. Don't die here, too." he whispered fiercely, "Too many Links dying, every world we go to has a Link dead or about to die. Please don't be one of them, Hero!"

"Kid's got issues." Elfin grumbled as he headed off. Allstar fumed to himself as he walked with Dark Link back to his room. Link walked with Waker, trying to soothe him, as Pichu slept on, guarding the room that held the last of the true Great Allstars from before the First Day.


	19. Nintendo's Insanity

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Seventeen

  


Above the Star Fox Homeworld

Game Realm _P.C._

Time: 1830 hours

  


Snip! Snip! Nin hummed softly as she cut the folded paper into the shape of a little boy. Below her, the world of Star Fox, StarFox64 and Star Fox Adventures burned brightly, all lives lost. She floated in space above the razed planet, legs pulled up and crossed at the ankles as if she were sitting in a chair. Snip! Snip! Nin went on carefully cutting as her brother flew in from a fly around in search of escaped characters.

"_Sis, guess who's back? Back again?_" Tendo sang with a laugh, flying around his older sister. Nin glanced up at him and continued snipping.

"_I believe I know who it is. And it looks like he's going to be a threat. He's the only one capable of commanding the Shigeru Armada and turning them all into decent combat cruisers._" she replied, "_My one and only, my dearest, I do so love how he can take charge of any situation._"

"_News flash, Nin! We've already killed off everybody here! It's boring now! Let's go find some other planets to play with!"_ Tendo declared as Nin finished her paper dolls and unfolded them, a chain of Mavericks in her hands.

"_I have a better idea, Tendo. Let's go play with Maverick. He must miss me so much after being gone so long. And besides, we have to make sure that nobody knows that someone can survive Nintendo's Wrath. It's our best spell._" Nin replied and smiled gently at the dolls as they burst into flames, "_We have to restart Nintendo again, little brother. The characters are too weak. We must be strong. The strongest!_" She suddenly laughed maniacally as the dolls burned in space.....

  


  


*********

  


  


Zelda Homeworld

Game Realm _P.C._

Time: 1900 hours

  


"Maverick, good to see you alive and well." Alt Link remarked over the monitor in the bridge of the _Legacy_. Maverick snorted a bit and folded his arms over his chest.

"Why did you summon me, Allstar Link? I received messages from Sigma and Samus. What are their conditions?" he demanded to know. Alt Link winced slightly.

"Dead. Both worlds were destroyed by the Twins. We've recently gotten a transmission from the Star Fox Planet, just before it was destroyed. Nin and Tendo were raving about purging the realm of the weak." he replied.

"Right idea, wrong way of doing it." Maverick murmured, "If all of Nintendo's characters are killed, all of the games they star in back in the Realm of Humanity will freeze just long enough for everyone to lose faith in the corporation. Nintendo Co., Ltd would not recover so quickly from such a blow."

"We have plans to stop the Twins, but we need your help. Requesting permission to board the _Legacy of Links_." Alt Link went on.

"Denied. I have friends on board who need to rest and have some decent food in their bellies. I can't stand the pretty boy's whining over the lack of...cheeseburgers." Maverick said the last word as if it disgusted him. Alt Link sighed.

"All right. Pull into the dock on Base Two on the world. We need to go through procedures for any and all FanFics brought planet side." he replied and the transmission ended.

"And now **I'm** the FanFic?! This is an insult!!" Allstar raged as soon as his counterpart was gone from the screen.

"Bro, just play along. It's not going to do us any good to say we're the Allstars. They'll just probably try to imprison us for mental issues." Dark Link told him.

"They should do that to Maverick, the necrophiliac!" Allstar snapped and jumped as the captain whirled around and jabbed the end of a silencer pistol into his belly.

"You have ten seconds to eat those words." he hissed, "One! Two! Ten!"

"WHAAAT?!!" Allstar wailed, "I can't voice my opinions anymore?! It's a free world!"

"Not on my ship." Maverick growled as he put the gun back, "You live only because you and your twin haven't exploited a figurine weakness yet...and because cleaning up the mess in the bridge would be expensive."

The ship, a sleek machine with swept back wings, landed some minutes later at a port. Maverick headed down to the platforms with the heroes following along and stepped onto _terra firma_. Alt Link and Alt Dark ran up to them and stopped before the group, briefly saluting Maverick, who returned it with one of his own.

"Captain Maverick, glad you could make it. We just need a few questions answered by the FanFics you brought with you." Alt Dark greeted. "For accommodating purposes...." he added as an explanation when Maverick glared at him. The little elf nodded curtly and stepped aside. The other Links blinked, what was going to happen now? Alt Link pulled out a clipboard and a pen, masking any expression he had on with a neutral look.

"Okay, let's get started. Are any of you attracted to Zelda, Princess of Hyrule and/or any other personification of said princess?" he began. Link blushed as deeply as Waker.

"She's beautiful, but I have my heart set on Malon." Link murmured. Waker looked bashful.

"Zelda's nice. I...I like her a lot." he mumbled.

"My boss? My wife'll kill me if she so much as dreams I have an affair with my boss." Elfin growled.

"Don't look at me. I'm married too! Dark Zelda may be a FanFic character, but Advance Link created her for me." Dark Link exclaimed, then covered his mouth, "Oops."

"Same as me. Your Author must be extremely gifted to create such a close to true FanFic character. My compliments to him." Alt Dark remarked with a surprised look.

"She's my girlfriend, but I'm holding off on popping any questions. My bank account won't be able to handle it. Not to mention my accountant would have a stroke....again." Allstar griped.

"Okay, next question. Are any of you attracted to Sheik, regardless of sex and/or association with the aforementioned princess?" Alt Link went on, looking down at the clipboard briefly, then watching the heroes' expression.

"WHAT?!" Link cried, taken aback. "No! He...she...whatever...Sheik was my greatest ally during the time I spent awakening the Sages!"

"Who's Sheik?" Waker asked, scratching his head.

"Eh, this is disturbing." Allstar muttered, "Sheik is Zelda in that little getup of hers. So I guess, yeah, I like Sheik, but only 'cause I know it's Zelda trying to be kinky again."

"I try not to hit on my bro's girlfriend, no matter her outfits." Dark Link muttered.

"Who the hell is Sheik?" Elfin wondered aloud.

"Are any of you attracted to any of the female Sages, including Saria and Ruto?" Alt Link went on.

"I don't remember ever having things like this to clear FanFics back at the base." Allstar whispered to his brother, "I think this Allstar is a little off in the old noggin."

"Hey! Saria's one of my best friends! And Ruto is a good friend, but that's all they are! I said I was courting Malon!" Link shouted angrily, "How dare you think I would run around behind her back!"

"Saria is nice, but I don't think Hero would like it if I tried to date a Sage. Especially since they're his friends." Waker murmured, "Oh, so that's Sheik.... Ewie."

"Do I look like a pedophile to you?" Allstar demanded, "And what would I want with Ms. Aquaman, anyway?!"

"Don't think about it. What would I do with them? I have Zel." Dark Link growled.

"Are any of you attracted to my brother, Dark Link?" Alt Link suddenly asked. The heroes fell silent in shock. Maverick grinned. This was going to be good for a laugh.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!?!" the group screamed in outrage.

"You think I'm gay or something?!" Elfin shrieked, "I have my world's version of a Dark Link, Mirror Link, sealed up in a jar back in the forensics lab of my world! What in the hell are you people on?!"

"That is the sickest thing I've ever heard! He nearly killed me in my world! Why would I have any feelings towards that shadow monster?!" Link raged.

"How dare you accuse me of something like that?! I don't have any Dark Links in my world!!!" Waker yelled, waving his arms madly.

"Why the hell would I do my own twin brother?! You're on drugs or something! That's the most disgusting thing anyone's ever asked me!" Allstar fumed as his twin retched. Maverick only laughed at them, still not a nice sound. The heroes glared at him.

"Haven't you read some of the FanFics out there?" Alt Dark asked the group, "I've met a few from them. I don't enjoy being groped by someone designed to look like my twin."

"All right. Last one." Alt Link grumbled, "Geez, FanFics these days are so twitchy. This is just for safety and regulation." He flipped through the papers on the clipboard, finished marking off some things. "Okay, now. Would any of you, if given the chance and opportunity, and assuming your Author has come up with a sufficient enough plot-hole to create the situation and maintain its stability...." Alt Link stopped and cleared his throat, then stared directly at the group, "be attracted to me as Hero of Time?"

"Double ewie." Waker muttered, cringing and stepping back, "Nasty Hero."

"I was wrong earlier. **That**'s the sickest thing I've ever heard." Link hissed, folding his arms over his chest as Maverick laughed harder.

"Oookay, you have issues." Elfin answered, raising his hands, "Um, tempting, but no. I would not like to do a copy of myself."

"That's like a reverse of the other question; no, I wouldn't be attracted to my twin like that." Dark Link grumbled. Allstar turned bright red and ground his teeth at the question. Then he got a shrewd grin on his face. "Eh, Bro? What are you doing?" Dark Link asked softly, looking a little worried about the blonde Allstar's expression.

"Yeah, me! I'd do ya in a heartbeat, pretty boy!" Allstar declared jokingly. The other heroes stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Okay, thanks for the warning." Alt Link remarked brightly...then brought out a gun and fired it on Allstar. The heroes continued to stare as Allstar looked down in shock at the dart buried in his right arm.

"What the hell?" he asked just before grinning stupidly and collapsing in a heap. Dark Link blinked, then mirrored the grin.

"Ooh, nice..." he slurred and fell over as well.

"What the hell was that?!" Elfin yelled at Alt Link as Maverick cracked up again.

"Tranquilizer. He should be out for just long enough for us to temporarily rewrite his Authored program to prevent him from grabbing me and shoving me into the first broom closet he finds." Alt Link replied calmly as he holstered the gun to his belt.

"He was kidding! Can't you people take a joke?!" Elfin shrieked as Link and Waker knelt down next to Allstar and took turns poking at his arm, ignoring his snoring and drooling.

"No." Alt Dark answered and turned with his twin as they began to walk away, "Follow us to your rooms. We'll need to speak with Maverick once everyone is situated." Elfin sighed and hefted up Allstar onto his back as Link carried Dark Link. Maverick continued laughing as he followed the heroes into the Zelda Home Base.

  


  


********

  


En Route to Zelda Homeworld

Game Realm _P.C._

Time: 1915 hours

  


Nin and Tendo flew on, happily, laughing as various small chunks of debris from escape pods littered the space. The Sonic Adventure Homeworld was on the same route and, as Nin said brightly, it burned lovely colors in space.

The delay to destroy another of their worlds cost them time, but it didn't matter to them. The madness held them fast, whispering ideas of death and destruction to them in such a way that it all seemed like a fun game.

The game took a darker turn as the X Twins suddenly teleported before them. Nin and Tendo came to a halt and grinned at them. X, a copy of Nin with a more seductive outfit and lime green hair, smiled back. Baux, whose dominant color was black and wore only that color when he could help it, mirrored the smile.

"_Greeting, Nin and Tendo. Normally, we'd try to destroy you, but this time, we have a proposition for you._" X murmured in a dark, sultry voice. The Nintendo Twins weaved among themselves in front of their rivals, giggling. "_We've come to notice that Nintendo worlds are being destroyed. That pleases us, but we're not the ones doing it. Apparently, you're the cause of all those deaths. We applaud you._"

"_We're curious to know what made you change your minds about the Power of Good. You still have it, but you're using it for destructive purposes._" Baux added, licking his lips as he watched Tendo spin slowly in space, still giggling. "_Not that we're complaining...._"

"_Because it's fun!_" Tendo laughed, "_We like things that are fun! Blowing stuff up is fun! Burning stuff down is fun!_"

"_For shits and giggles!_" Nin threw in with a laugh and the two giggled even more.

"_Nin, you said a bad word!_" Tendo teased and laughed insanely. X and Baux looked at each other and smiled, nodding. Things were going well, for them.

"_We have a deal for you. Destroy every world you've ever created, we'll send ships to help you. We'll keep you fully stocked with 'toys' to use to 'play' with your children._" X remarked, "_And in return, we will give you each a lollipop._"

"_Kill everyone for a piece of candy?_" Nin asked and smiled brightly, "_Okay! Candy! Yay!_" The twins twirled in space, giggling and laughing, hand in hand. They suddenly flew off, a streak of blue and pink disappearing with the same childlike giggles. "_Candy! Candy! Yay! Yay!_" X and Baux watched them leave and smiled at each other.

"_You're going to poison the candy, right?_" Baux asked his sister.

"_Of course._" X replied with a grin, "_Once they've destroyed Nintendo, we'll finish them off and the Realm of Games will be ours again to do with as we please. The Players of Humanity will have no choice but to buy Xboxes if they wish to play any video games._"

"_What about Sony and her Playstation?_" Baux pointed out.

"_They will fall quickly enough without Nintendo to back them up. Sega is about to die herself. The Realms, both of them, will soon be ours. We'll have a monopoly in Humanity and a kingdom here in Games._" X answered smoothly.

"_Brilliant plan, Sister. Just promise me one thing._" Baux murmured as he watched the two colorful streaks of light fade, still licking his lips, "_Let me enjoy myself with the Nintendo Twins before we kill them. Let me steal their innocence before they burn in their own personal hell....._"


	20. Nin and Tendo: Twins of Destruction

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Eighteen

  


  


Zelda Homeworld

Game Realm _P.C._

Time: 1100 hours

  


Allstar sat in his chair at the table in the war room of the Zelda Home Base, scowling. Dark Link leaned back, relaxed, as Elfin and Link chatted about what to look for in a wife. Waker read his book from Old Hyrule and Maverick simply leaned against the wall, not bothering to join the other heroes who sat around the table. Alt Link and Alt Dark were murmuring to each other, sitting at the head of the table.

"I can still hear you. I'm not deaf." Maverick growled at his world's twins. "Where are Mario and Luigi?"

"You were thought to be dead. How did you escape _Nintendo's Wrath_?" Alt Link asked instead.

"The luck of heaven decided not to be stingy that day. Don't change the subject. Where are the Golden Mascots? What happened to Sega? What is going on here?!" Maverick snapped angrily. The heroes fell silent as they watched the events, curious and apprehensive. The Alt twins looked evasive.

"Should we start at the beginning?" Alt Link murmured hesitantly.

"I think it would be best to tell us all what happened since Maverick's disappearance from this dimension." Link remarked, "And thank you for the rooms. I appreciate the chance to sleep in my old tree home again, even if it's just the setting for your 'work'."

"And I owe you a whack to the head for shooting me!" Allstar added angrily. Alt Link shrugged.

"You should have just told us you were beings from other dimensions. It would have made things simpler." he replied, "And it's no problem, Link. We're happy to help."

"I suppose it is best. After Maverick's 'death', Nin and Tendo retreated into themselves, mourning over the loss. The next day, they approached the Allstars and said they were going to fix everything to be sure no more lives would be lost." Alt Dark started. "What happened next was horrible. The Twins smiled and summoned the spell _Joy and Laughter_. We barely escaped it, the sonic waves buffeted our ships and the next thing we knew, Nin-Tendo had destroyed the Mario Homeworld."

"So many lives were lost. Mario and Luigi managed to escape on their flagship, _The Luck of Heaven_. They set sail for the Planet of Powers in search of help to calm the Twins down. They asked Sega Sprite to help protect them." Alt Link murmured and cringed, "Captain N and Lt. GCN also went along, each in their fighters, _Star Flipper_ and _Star Atlantis_. Just as they reached the world, Nin and Tendo appeared and attacked. Sega was overwhelmed, Captain N and his sister were nearly killed; she used the last of her power to transport them to the Playstation Homeworld. Sony took them in to protect them, then summoned the shield."

"Mario and Luigi were killed in the fight, _The Luck of Heaven _was totally destroyed." Alt Dark sighed, "We two are the last of the Allstars. Well, three, counting Neo Advance Link. Since then, the Twins have been traveling from world to world, destroying everything they see."

"Horrible." Waker murmured sadly as Link closed his eyes in a moment of silence for the lost characters. Elfin sat back and looked at the ceiling, allowing the information to sink into his brain.

"The Gentle Hand and The Fierce Hand on a rampage. I thought such a thing could never be." Dark Link murmured and Allstar clenched his fists and trembled in fury.

"How? Why?! They're acting like the X Twins!" he shouted.

"Where's Sega now?" Maverick suddenly asked. Alt Link winced and stood up.

"She's in our medical bay. If you'd like to see her...." he began but Maverick was already in shadow-mist form, vanishing into the walls in his search for the Entity. "Well, for those of us who can't play Poltergeist, let's walk to the bay." the Allstar sighed and led the way.

  


  


*******

  


  


Maverick looked down at the Entity with an expression of horror and sympathy. He reached out carefully and placed his hand on Sega's cheek, carefully ignoring the IVs and bandages that covered her from head to toe. One eye wasn't covered.

"Sega, can you hear me? It's me." Maverick whispered and glanced around quickly, "It's Advance Link. The original." The eye slowly opened and gazed up at him, the once bright blue now dark and dull.

"Maverick....Link.... It's good to see you alive." Sega whispered. "I wish we were reunited under better conditions." Maverick swallowed hard and took in her battered form, her fragile pixie wings ripped from her back, her antennae broken and hanging limply on her head.

"Same here, Sega. I can't believe Tendo would do this to you. Nin, either." he answered. Sega laughed hoarsely as the heroes finally arrived.

"Nintendo changes constantly. You should know that. It adjusts to match a dominating force. For so long, the dominating force was the Power of Creativity from all the Programmers and Players in the Realm of Humanity." she murmured, "But I feel a new force is here. And it has changed Nin and Tendo to make them obey it. They've been enslaved to it and are destroying what it wants them to ruin."

"Sega...." Allstar murmured in quiet shock at the beaten Entity on the hospital bed.

"Where is the new force?" Maverick asked quietly. Sega sighed tiredly and closed her eye.

"Home...home...where it all began, where the source of all that is Nintendo lies, where it can cause the most damage without anyone ever knowing." she whispered and finally fell unconscious.

"She regains clarity every now and then, but mostly she's asleep, trying to heal herself." Alt Link said quietly. "But we must stop the Twins before they kill us all. Our scanners say that they are heading our way. What's left of the Shigeru Armada is armed and ready for them."

"What are you saying?" Maverick asked, slowly turning to face him.

"We were told the plan on the way here, Maverick." Elfin remarked, "The Shigeru Armada is prepared for an all out war."

"They're going to kill Nin and Tendo first." Waker said in a wavering voice, "They're going to kill the Entities of Nintendo!"

  


  


********

  


  


Playstation Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1200 hours

  


PSX Zero leaned back in his chair and chewed on a stick of gum, worrying constantly. He glanced back at the huge red cushion set on a low pedestal. In the center of it sat a young woman with long auburn hair and dressed in a plain white dress. No decorations on it, nothing, just a simple white dress that was so long it spread in a small pool around her feet. The sleeves were so long, they went past the woman's hands and were cut at a slant. She sat silent, frozen like a regal statue, her sea green eyes gazing out at the distance. Every few seconds, a ring of energy would rise around her and disappear as it passed her head.

"How is she?" PSX Sigma suddenly asked, walking into the room and bringing a bowl of soup for him. Zero sighed as the soup was set before him.

"Stable for now, but I can hear her in my mind. She's crying. She said she felt another world be destroyed, so many lives lost." he replied and sipped at the soup, "Thanks."

"X was worried about you. So was I, and the rest of the Capcom crew." Sigma sighed, "Sony's voice is in all of our minds. Even now, generating the shield, she can still hear what's going on."

"What about Captain N and the girl?" Zero asked, motioning for Sigma to sit with him. The villainous character accepted, propping his cheek up with one fist as he looked up at the woman, the Queen of Playstation.

"Stable as well, but still badly banged up. I still don't see why we took them in. They're the protectors of our rivals." Sigma replied.

"We may be rivals, but we still have a truce with them. Nintendo did give birth to Playstation, so here in the Realm of Games we must watch each other's backs. The real competition is in Humanity. Players fussing and fighting over which is better and all." Zero answered and yawned.

"Get some rest. I'll take the next shift." Sigma offered, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks. I wish Maverick was here, though." Zero murmured sadly, "He's half Capcom, he's like blood to us."

"_He is here. He is still alive._" Sony's voice murmured softly in their minds. The two characters looked at each other in shock. "_But he may not be alive much longer. Mother and Father know he has returned from another world. They are en route to the Zelda Homeworld to destroy him and complete their mission._"

"We've got to warn them!" Zero cried and jumped when he heard Sony scream in his mind.

"_Noooo! Mother! Father!_" she wailed and the shields wavered for a moment, "_The Allstars! They're going to destroy Nin and Tendo! Noo!_"

"Crapcrapcrap! This isn't good!" Zero yelled as he raced out of the room, "Computer! Patch me to the PA system!" There was a beep and Zero began to shout out orders as he raced for the war room. "All Playstation characters! Prepare for battle! Get to your warships as fast as you can! Mistress Sony! I know you can hear me! Drop the shields and we'll go stop the Shigeru Armada! All characters, scramble! We've got to stop the Allstars! They're going to try to destroy the Entities of Nintendo!"

He turned a corner and nearly ran into his friend, X. The two recovered and raced on, desperate to beat the clock.

  


  


***********

  


  


On Board _The Legacy of Links_

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1300 hours

  


"Zee, status." Maverick ordered as he watched the heroes strap themselves into various seats on the bridge of the ship.

"We're all gonna die. We're all gonna die. We're all gonna die." Allstar murmured over and over, rocking back and forth in his chair, eyes wide and staring at the distance. Dark Link shook his head and put his hand over his eyes, not even bothering to deal with his twin.

"Funny. I told myself as a kid that if I couldn't be an FBI agent, I'd be an astronaut. Now I'm in a spaceship, looking at the stars from their area, and all I can think of is...." Elfin murmured softly, "did I remember to sign my will?"

"By Nayru's Love, will you just SHUT THE HELL UP?!?!" Link screamed at Allstar, "Your constant blathering of death is starting to annoy me! You're a Link, act like it! Don't be such a sissy coward!" Maverick suddenly laughed and glanced back at him.

"I'm beginning to like you, Link of Old Hyrule. I'd say more, but I'm a bit busy at the moment." he remarked with a crooked grin.

"I don't suppose it'd be too late to ask to get off the ride, is it?" Waker asked, raising his hand.

"Sorry, Junior, but the shit's gonna hit the fan in less than thirty minutes." Maverick called back as Zee made her announcement.

_"Engines are green. Trans-polarity shields are green. Main defenses and artillery are green. Fuel systems are at 100%. All systems are green. Preparations for combat are complete."_ the computer reported.

"Let's do this." Maverick muttered as the ship began to speed ahead of the Shigeru Armada, a fleet of warships designed to protect Nintendo airspace. The last Allstars were on board the _Reality64_, waiting for Maverick to lure the Twins into a specified location so they could attack with all the ammunition they had in hopes of destroying them.

"You know, if you and those guys back there do somehow manage to kill Nin and Tendo, all the Nintendo characters will instantly die." Dark Link suddenly said. Maverick stiffened slightly.

"They know. They planned it anyway." he replied softly, "They surprised me, those two Links. They are ready and willing to utterly destroy Nintendo to keep it from destroying everything else. They will sacrifice the system to save the realms, both Games and Humanity." He looked back at the group, looking more lifelike than he had ever been. "And the funny thing is, I don't want them to risk themselves like that. I tried to talk them out of it. But they went on anyway. I...I have a newfound respect for them. I thought I lost it years ago."

"Years? But you're thirteen! How long ago did you lose that respect?" Elfin declared.

"Seven and a half, on the day I restored Nintendo and saw it all to be just another lie. I was thirteen at the time, too. Nintendo characters don't age the way people do. We are made at a specific age and are stuck that way for life. The only way the Links can age is by pulling the Master Key, which is a portable version of the Master Sword." Maverick answered with a shrug and frowned.

"What is it?" Waker asked.

"It's the Twins." Maverick answered with a suddenly horrified look as he gazed out at space. A pair of colorful streaks of light sailed through space, spinning and weaving among themselves as the sounds of delighted laughter began to sound in the ship's bridge. "They're here...."


	21. Legends in Chaos

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Nineteen

  


  


Above Ruins of Star Fox Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1345 hours

  


"Nin, Tendo! I'm giving you a chance to get out of this alive!" Maverick declared, "I know you can hear me from out there in space! Stop what you are doing and come to your senses! You're being manipulated by a doll!"

"_The stars up in the sky will never tell a lie! Fire, fire, Nintendo dies!_" the Legendary Twins sang and laughed as a fleet of X Warships suddenly materialized around them, "_We can hear your plight in the darkness of the night! Screaming, screaming, the end of the light!!"_

"Dammit, they're singing the Song of Doom." Dark Link griped, "And holy Mother of Miyamoto! What's that?!"

"The X Fleet?! What are they doing here?! Oh crap, don't tell me that the X Twins conned them into destroying us all in their name!" Maverick yelled.

"We're gonna DIEEEE!" Allstar suddenly screamed and covered his head.

"Shut up!" the crew yelled at him and returned to the view.

"Nin! Tendo! Why are the ships of the X Fleet with you?!" Maverick demanded.

"_We're going to play a game, my love. It's called, How Long Can You Last?"_ Nin replied in a strange tone, "_The rules are simple. We use our new toys to fire all kinds of stuff at you. Get killed and you lose. Our prize will be the eradication of the weak Nintendo and the rise of the powerful Neotendo!"_

"_I made up the name! Cool, huh?_" Tendo added with a laugh, "_So let's play! Tendo Thunderstorm!"_ The boy unleashed a flurry of lightning at the _Legacy_. The crew inside held onto thier seats as the shields took the hit.

"_X Fleet! Fire on the Legacy of Links! Commander Spawn, aim your missiles at it!"_ Nin declared as the X Fleet's destroyers and assault frigates positioned themselves for the fight.

"Zee! Fire back on the X Warships! Don't hit the Twins! Not yet!" Maverick ordered and raised his hand, "I need more hands on deck! Activating Personality Splitter! All personas activate and report!" The watch flashed and several copies of Maverick appeared beside him. Link and Waker blinked in shock at the half dozen or so little elves.

"Hyper-Link here, have no fear! When speed's what you need, I can do the deed!" a Link dressed in electric greens and yellow declared, a lightning bolt design tattoed on his cheeks.

"Let's jam!" Earth Link declared, a rocker of a Link with a guitar strapped to his back, dressed in earthy tones.

"Advance Dark Link, reporting for duty!" a mini version of Dark Link with blue eyes instead of red-brown announced with a salute.

"The Prankster's in da house!" Prankster shouted, back in his usual hooded robe and cape.

"I can heal as well as harm, Doctor Link is on call!" the white-clad elf remarked brightly.

Silent Snake said nothing, a Link dressed in gray uniform styled after the Playstation character Solid Snake. True to his name, he remained quiet, only nodding curtly at Maverick to show his sentience.

"Battle stations!" Maverick ordered and turned to the other heroes. "Okay, I've been thinking about where that figurine is, and I believe I know the answer."

"Talk fast! They're coming around again!" Elfin shouted and pointed at the viewer. Nin and Tendo flew around themselves, then headed straight for the _Legacy_.

"Hard to port!" Maverick yelled, "Raise forward shields and brace for impact!" The other Links raced to move the ship, putting up the shields to ward off some damage as the Twins shot at them.

"_Play with us!"_ the Twins demanded and laughed as they rammed the shields, bouncing away in giggles as the X Fleet opened fire.

"We're gonna die!!!" Allstar wailed, covering his head with his arms as the ship shook under the onslaught.

"Maverick! Where is the figurine?!" Elfin yelled out. Maverick raced to his captain's seat and grabbed a medallion that hung from its side. He put it around his neck and turned to the group.

"Dark Link! Remember when I, as The Prankster, tried to destroy Nintendo for making _WindWaker_ a cel-shaded game?" he called. The dark elf nodded. "Think! Where did I cause the most damage without you noticing for the longest time?!" Allstar suddenly lifted his head in shock.

"Nintendo Home Base Master Control! It's where the Nintendo Power Core is located! The Twins get all the information from Humanity from the Power of Creativity, which they turn into Nintendo Power. Nintendo Power forms the core and through it the Twins gather information about us and the Realm of Humanity." he remarked, "The figurine must have gotten into the Master Control! If it used the Power Core to corrupt the Twins, it could eventually use it to corrupt the last of the Nintendo characters!"

"Players will be seeing _WindWaker_ _2 _on Xboxes instead of GameCubes!" Dark Link cried in horror, "_Metroid Prime 2_ and _Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles_ as well!"

"If these guys don't kill them first...." Elfin remarked and grunted as the ship took another hard blow from the Twins, "then they'll all be dragged to the dark side! Who will control them then?!"

"X and Baux. They generate X Essence from the Power of Evil found in the Creativity generated by Programmers and Players. Nintendo Power is made from the Power of Good. The characters cross over, they start feeding on the Power of Evil and all of Nintendo will belong to Xbox." Maverick murmured and looked out at the viewer.

_"Sorry we're late! Oh my Miyamoto! The X Fleet is here?!"_ Alt Link declared over the transmitter as the Shigeru Armada finally made it into position and began firing on the Twins and the X Fleet.

"Yeah. Nin and Tendo struck a deal with X and Baux apparently." Maverick answered and turned to the group, "You guys have to go to the Nintendo Homeworld and find Master Control. Stop the figurine."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Waker asked and cringed as the shield took another hit. Maverick shook his head.

"I'm going to use the Nintendo Power Pearl hidden in my medallion to help me fight the Twins a little longer. You will go to the homeworld in the _Legacy_. I'll use the _Elfin Phoenix_ to cover you." he replied.

"But which one of us is the one to do it? How will we find it's weakness? You have to come with us!" Allstar exclaimed. Maverick tossed the SPC to him.

"Use that. It'll help you out." he said and whirled around with Zee declared new arrivals. "Who the hell is it now?!"

_"This is Sony Song, Queen of Playstation! Shigeru Armada, stop your attack on the Twins! You're going to destroy us all if you kill Nin and Tendo!"_ a voice declared in anger.

"Holy crap! Sony's gotten involved?! Now we have fighters from all three super-powers!!" Allstar Link yelled.

"_Maverick, shields are down to 75%. The Elfin Phoenix is prepped for combat. Awaiting further orders."_ Zee announced as the Sony Fleet materialized in space nearby, a crowd of space cruisers, frigates, fighters and corvettes spread out around an assault carrier and a flagship.

"Damn, that flagship is the _Daughter of Legend_, Sony's personal ship! She's here! She's gonna get massacred here!" Maverick hissed.

_"Mistress Sony, leave this area at once! We do what we must to protect all of Games!"_ Alt Link demanded as the few carriers and frigates left in the Shigeru Armada deployed their motley fighters, some Arwings and X-Wings from Star Fox and Star Wars games, and set them out after the Twins.

_"Ha ha ha! Tag! You're it!"_ Tendo declared as he fired a beam of energy at one of the Nintendo ships. _"Come on, Maverick! You're not playing the game right! Look, I just killed a bunch of guys from Chrono Trigger game!"_

"Dammit, they got Chrono and his group!" Maverick cursed again, "The _Era's End_ was one of the best offensive carriers they had!" He turned to shadow-mist and raced off, "Advance Dark! Get them to Nintendo Homeworld with the hyper-jump! I'll cover you!"

  


Maverick got into his fighter just as Zee announced that the ship was ready to hyper-jump. He fired up the thrusters and shot out of the _Legacy_ into the midst of a war between all the consoles, the Shigeru Armada firing on the Nintendo Twins, the X Fleet and the Sony Fleet; the X Fleet firing on everything that moves, and the Sony Fleet trying desperately to destroy the X Fleet, disable the Shigeru Armada, and contain the Nintendo Twins.

"_Finally decided to face us yourself, love?"_ Nin murmured and swooped down to fly alongside Maverick's ship. "_Just to be fair, I think I'll kill you myself. You know, for friendship's sake."_

"Nin, listen to yourself! This isn't who you are! You're the Gentle Hand! The voice of reason and caution! You're the one who dream-mailed Mr. Yamauchi to stop him from creating the CD-i attachment!" Maverick declared as the _Legacy_ lined itself up for the jump. "Think! This isn't what Nintendo is made for! We don't destroy! We create! Think of all the things Nintendo has made for Players everywhere!"

_"Shut up and die, Maverick."_ Nin hissed and flew up, "_Nin's Meteor Storm!"_ A hail of flaming rock came down on the _Elfin Phoenix_. Maverick barely avoided the hits, dodging and weaving about with rolls and mini-jumps.

"Get out of here! Now!" Maverick yelled and the _Legacy_ hyper-jumped, disappearing from the field.

"_Mother, Father! Stop this at once!"_ Sony yelled as Tendo blasted several more of the Shigeru Armada's ships.

_"Nin, this is getting boring now. Maverick's not playing the game right."_ Tendo growled and suddenly grinned, looking back at the X Fleet, _"Never mind! I found some new targets!"_ He flew back with a snicker and weaved around the X Warships, hurling several blades of energy at them.

"_What are you doing?! Arrragh!_" Commander Spawn of the Xbox version of _Soul Caliber II_ yelled before the temporary flagship of the X Fleet, the _Hell Wind_, was blown apart.

"_Move it, everyone! Fire on the Twins! Hurry! While they're distracted, fire!"_ Alt Link yelled. The _Reality64_ began to fire it's small supply of lasers and torpedoes at the Twins, who flitted about in the debris of the X Fleet and fired on the Sony Fleet.

"Nin! Stop this! If you truly love me, you'll stop this madness!" Maverick yelled and cried in shock as the Twins raced down at him again.

_"DIE, MAVERICK!!"_ they screamed, "_Loving Souls!_" An army of spirits suddenly appeared and came straight at the _Elfin Phoenix_, the souls of all of the characters that had been killed during First Day slamming into the ship in a deadly attack. Just before the ship exploded, Maverick looked into the ghostly faces of his mentors, the original Link and Dark Link of his world.....

  


  


*******

  


  


Above Nintendo Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1412 hours

  


The _Legacy_ reappeared over a perfectly safe homeworld and the ship began to land near a large gray building on the planet. Allstar held the SPC in his hand, studying the screen and menus. Elfin let out his breath as they landed and smiled weakly.

"Well, we made it safe and sound." he remarked cheerfully.

"Now we must find the figurine and destroy it." Link declared, "We will save this dimension before it's too late and all of it's heroes are gone!"

"Yeah! We can save the day again!" Waker cheered and blinked in surprise as the SPC and the laptop both beeped crazily. Elfin brought out the laptop and flipped it open. Zero's face appeared on it, grim.

"Guys, I don't know how to break this to you, but we have a loss." he began hesitantly.

"Loss? What do you mean? Zero?" Elfin asked, confused. The Watcher winced and sighed.

"Maverick.... I've lost Maverick from the scanners. I can't find him anywhere. I'm sorry to report this, but...." he murmured. Allstar stared at the laptop as the other heroes crowded around it in shock. "He's...he's dead....."


	22. Dependin' on a Prayer

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Twenty

  


Nintendo Home Base

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1415 hours

  


"No...." Allstar breathed, gripping the SPC tightly. The other heroes stood in silence, unsure whether to be grieved or infuriated. The other Advance Links, the personas Maverick released earlier, looked back at them, confused. What should they do now? Maverick had not backed up his own memory in a few years. To resurrect him now would mean losing all memory of what had been happening.

"Are you sure you checked every square inch of this dimension?" Elfin asked the Watcher, "Even the ruined planets?"

"I've monitored the various times and worlds for as long as Time lasted." Zero grumbled, "I know what I see and the fact is that Maverick is nowhere in this space! He's dead!"

"What about another dimension?" Link asked hopefully, "Maybe he used his powers to go into another dimension!" Zero shook his head.

"Impossible. Maverick doesn't have the capability to do that. Only a being of great power could...waitaminute...." he trailed and pouted, brows furrowing as he thought hard. "There _is _one place I haven't checked. But he couldn't possibly...I mean no one could...that is, no one alive....but...."

"But what, man?! Spit it out!" Dark Link snapped angrily.

"I'll call you back." Zero muttered and clicked off. The group remained silent for a few moments, staring at the blank screen as the doorway opened for them to disembark the ship.

"Well, shit." Link muttered, causing a few heads to turn to look at him in shock.

  


*********

  


  


???????

???????

Time: 1415 hours

  


"Maverick...." a voice called softly.

_Head hurts. No, go away. Let me die._

"Maverick, wake up...."

_I'm coming, Allstar Link and Dark Link. I'm coming, everyone. We'll be together again soon._

"Maverick, if you don't wake up, I'm going to turn your armor purple with pink polka dots." the voice said irritatingly.

Maverick slowly opened his eyes and looked around warily. All around him was white, pure white space. He glanced to his sides and nearly jumped. The ghosts of his mentors, the original Allstar and Dark Links were holding him in hugs, smiling at him.

"It's about time! I'm not holding you in The Dream Zone for your vacation purposes, ya know." the condescending voice scolded.

"Sega?!" Maverick exclaimed in shock and sat up, strange to do in a space that didn't seem to have an up or a down. The sprite floated nearby, fully healed and back in her old spunky self. She grinned and flashed him a thumb's-up. "But...how?!"

"Remember my Sega's Second Shot spell? I used it on myself as soon as Doc Mario's regen capsule doohicky restored a good chunk of my energy." she replied, "I got to the battlefield as quick as my wings could carry me but was a touch too late to keep the _Loving Souls_ spell from slamming your ship."

"Then how was I able to survive?" Maverick whispered.

"You thick-headed hacker! _Loving Souls_ summons the ghosts of the dead Nintendo characters to attack! Two of them were those Links there and they couldn't bring themselves to destroy you!" Sega declared, her arms akimbo as she frowned at him, "They disobeyed the Twins by shielding you from the blast long enough for me to warp us all into The Dream Zone!"

"_Loving Souls_ was a shielding spell that also attacked. I remember now. And what exactly is the Dream Zone?" Maverick asked, looking back at the ghosts and nodding his thanks.

"The space between the Realm of Games and the Realm of Humanity. It's a like a pocket that was created before The Great Collision that slammed both realms together for a few days. It actually survived it and the separation." Sega explained, "This space is for all the ideas that Humans come up with while thinking up potential games. Some make it into Games, the rest never leave. It looks empty, but it's not. Dreams are hard to see when the dreamers are awake."

"Take me back out to Games, Sega. I have to stop Nin and Tendo from making a huge mistake!" Maverick demanded. Sega nodded.

"I'm with you. I'll fight alongside you and lend you my powers. Use the Power Pearl in your medallion to fight. It'll lend you as much Entity-like power as it can." she replied and raised her hands. "_By the dreams of Naka and our creator, David Rosen, open the gate from Dreams to Games! Return us to our rightful lands, to the world where dreams have life!_" A portal opened before the two and both Maverick and Sega flew out. The elf looked back at his mentors once more, but they were gone, silent as the space they had just come from.

  


*****

  


  


Nintendo Home Base

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1430 hours

  


"How big is this place, anyway?!" Elfin griped as the heroes raced down the corridors of the empty Nintendo base. Allstar huffed and puffed as he and his twin led the way.

"Apparently it's a helluva lot bigger than the one we remember! The Master Control Room should be at the end of this hall, but I'll be damned if we're able to reach the lousy doorknob!" he called back. The SPC beeped again and he pulled it out. "Allstar, here. What have you found out, Zero?"

"Um, well, Maverick's back." Zero said hesitantly, "Seems he was hiding out between dimensions the whole time. That's why I couldn't find him."

"_Between_ dimensions?! Is that allowed?!" Link cried in surprise, "How did he get there?!"

"An Entity pulled him in there. Ms. Sega Sprite, I believe she's called. They're currently still in battle with the Nintendo Twins and the X Twins have joined in." Zero replied, "They're quite angry about the fact that Nin and Tendo reneged on their deal."

"I bet. Microsoft likes to be the one to backstab first." Dark Link growled, "Remember IBM?"

"Don't start." Allstar grumbled, "PC games aren't our jurisdiction. They handle themselves quite well, as far as I can see. As long as they stay in their territories, I don't have a problem with them."

"Well, you're closing in fairly quickly on the next figurine. Get a scan of it and I'll tell you it's weakness." Zero pointed out and clicked off.

"So, Maverick's alive? That's great!" Waker cheered, "We'll still be able to save the day and then we can go to my world and help it!"

"Yeah, as long as we don't get killed first. Maverick caught a lucky break. We may not have that here." Elfin pointed out as they stopped in front of a large set of doors.

"Relax, guys! We're on Nintendo's core homeworld! Luck _is_ with us!" Allstar said cheerfully.

"Shut up and open the door." Dark Link grumbled, tapping his foot and shaking his head in exasperation. Allstar rolled his eyes and looked up at the door.

"Hey! Let us in!" he shouted after seeing it had no scanner for his Allstar ID card.

"You can't get into the Master Control Room without the Blue Key!" a voice yelled out. Dark Link groaned and put his hand to his forehead. Elfin blinked in confusion as Link and Waker sighed and turned around to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you two going?!" Allstar called to them. Link looked back over his shoulder wearily.

"Where else? To find the Blue Key! I fear this time it is very much like my world, where I must find keys for all the important doors in the temples." he replied with a sigh.

"Can you point out the nearest temple?" Waker asked. Allstar shook his head and grinned.

"Hold on a sec, okay?" he asked them and turned back to the door. "Yo! If you don't open up right now, I'll tell you where I'm gonna stick your lousy Blue Key when I find it!" he raged at the door.

"Password accepted. Welcome to Nintendo Master Control, Allstar N64 Link." the voice said brightly as the doors pulled open. The heroes stared, open-mouthed at Allstar and Dark Link.

"What? Worked on the War-room back at our base." Allstar replied, "You didn't think Nintendo would honestly make you go and **find** a Blue Key to open their doors, did you?"

"Time's wasting! Less talk, more kill!" Link declared as he dashed past the group into the Master Control Room. The others stared at him as he vanished into the room.

"That was...strange." Allstar remarked.

"I think the stress is getting to him." Dark Link sighed, "Come on, let's go make sure he doesn't stab anything he's not supposed to."

  


  


******

  


  


Above Ruins of Star Fox Homeworld

Time: 1435 hours

  


Nin and Tendo glared down at Maverick and Sega, both of whom were glowing with an incandescent blue light. After destroying the _Elfin Phoenix_, the Twins finished wiping out the X Fleet, most of the Sony Fleet and the remainder of the Shigeru Armada. The crippled flagship _Reality64_ floated helplessly in space, its crew looking up at them coldly as they waited for the end. Sony had protected a few of her ships during the last few minutes of battle, then finally emerged from her ship to face her parents head to head. She floated near Maverick and Sega, her dress flowing elegantly at the cuffs and bottom hem.

"_People die everyday. Why won't you?_" Nin growled at Maverick. The elf grinned and shrugged. X and Baux scowled as they sat on their ship, the _Gates Crusher_, also crippled from attacks from the Twins, Sony, and the now defunct _Reality64_.

"_I don't see why we don't just destroy them here and now._" X grumbled, flicking back her hair and glancing at her brother, "_You could always snatch the commanders of the Third-Worlders if you want to rape someone in power._"

"_Shut up, X. I wanted the Twins and you knew it. You just want to get Tendo and Maverick both for yourself, you selfish bitch._" Baux growled, "_And if you couldn't have them, you'd kill them. Now look. The Twins have grown too wild for either of us to have or kill. The minute we get close to them, they'll use that damned Nintendo's Wrath spell again and where the hell will we be then? Hmm?_"

"_Up Gates' ass and around the corner if we don't find a way to counter that spell. How the hell were we to know as X Spirit that destroying Nintendo and pissing off the Twins would lead them to using their fury and bloodlust in one fell swoop of a spell?_" X muttered, chewing on her thumbnail as she studied the combatants.

"_Sis, I'm getting bored again. The Zelda Homeworld is the last one standing. Once we destroy it, we can rebuild all the worlds to make them stronger than before._" Tendo murmured.

"_Mother, Father! I beg of you! Reconsider your actions! If you destroy Nintendo, the Power of Good will run rampant once again! We'll have a repeat of First Day!_" Sony pleaded, "_Think of all the lives that will be destroyed! Not just those of your children, but the FanFics as well! The Players in Humanity! The characters of the Third-Party Homeworlds!_"

"_We already have, dear Daughter. And they should all DIE, DIE, DIE!_" Nin laughed, spreading her arms out and thoroughly enjoying herself. "_Come, Tendo! Let's finish them all off so we can finish our playtime! Let's summon Nintendo's Wrath again! I'm sure we won't miss Maverick again!_"

"_X...._" Baux drawled in irritation, glaring at his sister.

"_Oh, why not go and fuck Azurik again? I'm not done thinking._" X snapped at him.

"_He's dead; you killed him an hour ago for scratching the floor when you knocked him down._" Baux complained as he stood up to escape the spell.

"_Like that's stopped you before. Sit down, you ass, running isn't going to save us from Nintendo's Wrath, the damn thing hits wherever they want it to as long as they have in mind where the target is running._" the female Entity growled and leaned back, supporting herself with her arms as she watched the Nintendo Twins focus their energy. "_Dammit, now who the hell's gonna fix my hair after we get out of this shit-pile?_"

  


  


************

  


  


Master Control Room

Nintendo Home Base

Time: 1440 hours

  


Link blinked down at the figurine as Allstar held the SPC out to it for the scan. Waker knelt next to it and began poking at it with his finger. It measured about three feet high and was shaped like a modern trash can.

"It's a garbage can." Elfin grumbled. "This is what's making those kids out there go on a rampage and kill everything?!"

"That's Sumitra, all right. It's weakness is it can't attack." Zero answered, "But it's tricky, so be careful." With that, he clicked off.

"Can't attack? Too bad, so sad." Allstar remarked with a grin as he set the SPC into his pouch and pulled out the Master Sword, "Say good night, little trash can!" He swing the sword hard and, just as it arced into the can, it was deflected. The backlash was incredible! Allstar was hurled across the room and slammed into the wall, dropping down in a stunned heap. Dark Link cried sharply and crumpled to the floor, moaning softly in pain.

"I thought it couldn't attack!" Link exclaimed. Waker had jumped back from Sumitra as Allstar swung for it and now looked warily at the figurine.

"That was defense. It shielded itself." Elfin muttered, scratching at his nose, "Okay, this one is going to be a bit difficult."

"Let me have a try." Waker remarked and reached into his pack. He brought out the Hookshot and aimed it at the figurine. "Maybe if I use distance attacks, it won't sense it coming and will get hit." He fired the Hookshot, the barbed point shooting at Sumitra.

The same barrier came up and deflected the Hookshot back. Waker was thrown back across the room and landed in a heap on top of Allstar. The twins grunted under the weight.

"Kid, I ain't a mattress. Get off." Allstar drawled grumpily.

"I would, if I could feel from the neck down." Waker groaned. Link looked at them worriedly, then sighed and put his fist into his cheek, cocking his head and looking down at the figurine.

"Well, now what?" he mumbled, "The Master Sword didn't work, the Hookshot had no luck. What can I use to give it a go?"

  


  


**********

  


  


Above Ruins of Star Fox Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1440 hours

  


"_And now to end it all!_" Nin declared as the energy flow built up to its fullest.

"_Nintendo's Wrath!!!_" the Twins yelled as a wave of energy flew out from them to slam into everything. Sega and Sony both threw up shields as Maverick used the Power Pearl in his medallion to temporarily put him between dimensions and escape it. Alt Link and Alt Dark, on board the _Reality64,_ both reached for each other's hands and held them tightly, watching the wave blast through them and destroy the last of the Allstars.

X and Baux ground their teeth and braced for the blast, shaking their heads once the wave passed by. X pulled at her hair, eyed it, and growled as she tossed the ponytail back over her shoulder.

"_Well, that was fun. Now my hair's singed again. Damn Twins! If we attack from up close, we get blasted. If we attack from a distance, they call up that damn Loving Souls shield and **they** blast us!_" she growled, "_There's just no way of stopping them!_"

"_Well, that's that, Sis! Now we can rebuild Nintendo as Neotendo!"_ Tendo remarked happily. Nin shook her head.

"_Wrong, Brother. There is still more to be blasted._" Nin said with a twisted grin, "_All Games are weak. We'll have to destroy them all and rebuild the entire Game Realm!_" 

"_Well, ain't that a kick in the ass?_" Baux remarked, looking over at his sister.

"_I'll give **you** a kick in the ass if you don't shut up._" X growled, "_Now we're stuck with having to help these guys stop the Twins! I don't want them destroying us **all** for their fun!_"

"Nin! Tendo! You've killed the last of your children! Have you no heart any longer?! Have you become as soulless as X and Baux?!" Maverick demanded, "Stop this madness now! Before Games is ruined beyond salvation!"

"_'Soulless'? Now, that was uncalled for._" Baux murmured, "_I've changed my mind. Let's let the Twins finish them off, and I can have the bodies for later. We'll see who is soulless then."_

"_You're all in our way! We'll have to clear the area once more! Tendo! Get ready for another blast!"_ Nin declared, gathering energy.

"_Cool! Once more!_" Tendo snickered and mimicked his sister. Sony and Sega gasped and looked back at Maverick fearfully.

"_Maverick, if they use Nintendo's Wrath again on us....."_ Sega began.

"_I fear we won't have the energy to create another shield to protect us all! We'll die in the next blow!_" Sony finished, eyes wide with fright. Maverick floated in space behind them, supported by the power of the Pearl around his neck.

"I have an idea on how to stall for time until my friends can stop the madness at its source. But we'll need the help of every living being left in the realm. Nintendo is dead again and we need to combat the figurine with the words that gave the Twins strength to do good." he told the Entities.

"_So what should we tell our characters and the FanFics to do? And all the Third-Worlders? What must they do?_" Sony asked in confusion. Maverick grinned wryly.

"Pray." he said simply, "Pray the prayer of Nintendo with all their hearts. And better make sure it's loud and clear. Games, and Humanity, depends on us getting through to the luck of heaven...."


	23. Dreams of Rebirth

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Twenty-One

  


  


Nintendo Home Base

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1445 hours

  


Elfin grinned as he looked down at Link, who was propped upside down against the far wall, Megaton Hammer in one hand. He snickered for a bit as the elf hero pouted at him.

"I take it the big heavy hammer didn't work. Heh, heh." Elfin teased as Link grumped and snorted.

"Shut up. I'd like to see _you_ try to hit it." he retorted and winced as he fell over, "Ow! It feels like all the strength was sucked out of my body."

"Must be the figurine's shield that's doing it." Elfin muttered and turned to study Sumitra again, "I suppose this means that I'm the one to exploit the weakness and destroy it. But I think I'll do better if I try and figure out why it's bouncing back attacks." With that, he sat down in front of the figurine and studied it carefully, thinking. Sumitra merely sat in front of a large orb of golden energy. This orb, as Allstar Link grumbled while on the floor, was the Nintendo Power Core. It pulsed softly. Then it suddenly glowed brighter and Sumitra began to squirm. Elfin blinked and raised an eyebrow.

"Eh? Allstar? What's that thing doing?" he asked and turned to look at him. Allstar and Dark Link sat side by side against the wall, resting, but now were staring wide-eyed at the core.

"_We are Nintendo; our luck is in heaven. We do what we can, with what we have, and await the results. We are blessed with the luck of heaven. We are Nintendo; Nintendo will endure._" they both recited over and over. The core pulsed brighter and seemed to come alive.

"Guys, what the hell are you doing?" Elfin growled.

"Praying, I would think." Link remarked, looking their way from where he lay on the floor, "Fat load of good that's doing us now."

"But why pray? What gave them the idea to?" Waker remarked as he sat propped against the twins. Sumitra wriggled faster, making strange noises like beeping and whining as it did.

"Don't know, but this thing seems to not like it." Elfin remarked and blinked, "You don't suppose that the prayer these guys are saying and that pulsing energy core have anything to do with Sumitra going on the blitz, do you?"

"If it's doing that to Sumitra, what could it be doing to the Nintendo Twins?" Link remarked in confusion. The group blinked and thought about that as the Allstar twins continued chanting.

  


*******

  


  


Above Ruins of Star Fox Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1445 hours

  


Nin and Tendo writhed in space, clutching their heads and wailing in pain. X and Baux glared hatefully at the two Entities calling out to their characters. Maverick used his Power Pearl to float closer to the Twins, looking determined as ever.

"_Children! FanFics! Third-Worlders! Please pray to the luck of heaven! Pray for Nintendo and feed them the Power of Creativity so they may fight back against the evil and regain their senses!_" Sony cried to the entire universe.

"_Come on, Sega characters! I know you can hear me! Pray to Nintendo and get back their sanity!_" Sega declared and pumped her fists into the air. She then spread her arms out and looked up at Tendo, a look of grim determination on her face. "_We are Nintendo; our luck is in heaven!_" She winced in pain as a surge of energy rushed through her body, angered by her words of praise to another group of Entities. Ignoring it, she pressed on, reciting the words that Tendo had taught her long ago when the realm was in ruins during The Cataclysm.

"_Damn. Now every fucking character and FanFic alive is chanting that stupid poem. Have they no idea that saying it in our presence reduces our power?!_" X grumbled irritatingly. Baux shrugged. "_What's with the silent treatment? Finally decided to use your brain for something other than keeping your head from caving in on itself?_"

"_Maverick's not paying attention to us._" he remarked simply. X blinked at him, then looked towards the elf. "_How many of our ships has he blown up over the years? Four hundred? Five? I wonder...if I fired an X Beam at him, would he notice it then? He seems distracted by those two goodies._"

"_Baux, if you so much as mess up one blonde hair on his head, I'm gonna fucking kick you in the dick so hard, you'll be fucking yourself inside out._" X snarled, eyes glowing a vivid lime green. Baux scowled and shuddered as the chants went on from all over the universe. "_Now where was I? Oh yeah. If enough of those damn prayers get said, the Nintendo Power Core should overload with energy and zap those two in the head._" X remarked and tapped her lip thoughtfully. "_And if that zap is big enough, they'll recover and realize what's happened. And when they do, they're gonna wanna fix everything, like they always wanna do._"

"_Well, they'll be shit outta luck 'cause they don't have a Backup System now to put back all the dead characters and worlds! Ha ha! We win anyway!_" Baux laughed, "_And while they get weepy over their characters, I can swoop down, snag 'em in the Darkness Prism, and have some serious fun!_"

"_Hold on, before you get your hard on, you'd better learn something. I brushed up on these two for a while._" X grumbled and blinked as Maverick was knocked back by Nin, who recovered temporarily and unleashed another Meteor Storm attack before screaming in pain and pulling at her hair. "_Damn, that was a good shot. Oh, yeah, they don't need a Backup System anymore. The Twins created a counterspell of their own to Nintendo's Wrath._" she remarked.

"_They did what now?_" Baux asked as X suddenly jumped to her feet.

"_Shitshitshit! If they get their sanity back, that's the first spell they're gonna do!_" she screamed, "_If we don't get the hell outta here and get back to our system before they use it, we'll get reset to the first stage!_"

"_What?!_" Baux cried and jumped with her, "_You mean get turned back into X Spirit?! We'll lose all of our powers then! And we'll be sexless too! We'll be one thing! What the hell spell is that, to turn Entities into their original forms?!_"

"_You don't want to know! Move your ass, Baux, or I'll leave it behind and let you get fucked over by Nin and Tendo!_" X shrieked and leaped into space, vanishing in a blast of toxic green light. Baux scowled and leaped after.

"_Gates knows you'd love to watch that happen...._" he muttered and disappeared in the same color blast of light. Maverick righted himself and spotted the two bright flashes, frowning. He had expected the X Twins to try something with Nin and Tendo incapacitated as they were, but instead, they cut and ran.

"Why? What do you know that we don't?" he murmured. The Twins screamed again and he turned his attention to them, "Twins! Nin! Tendo! Fight the figurine! Don't let it control you! Listen to the prayers of all the characters that exist! The Power of Good, the Power of Creativity, those are the forces you should be listening to, not some stupid otherworld doll!"

"_Pain! Pain! It hurts so much! Nin, all the voices! Make them stop!_" Tendo wailed, holding his head and writhing, "_I don't know who to listen to, Nin! There are voices from different worlds telling me what to do!_"

"_Follow the voice you know is right! Trust your hearts! You know who is the true mastermind behind the Power of Creativity that fuels you!_" Sony called and cried sharply as Nin lashed out at her with a stream of energy blades.

"Sony!" Maverick yelled and threw a shield generator in her direction, "Catch! Fall back and recover! There's nothing more we can do now!" Sega wailed suddenly and began twisting about in pain. "Sega! Stop chanting! Your energy will kill you if you keep singing Nintendo prayers! Your characters are in enough pain as it is, reciting words that aren't theirs!" he snapped at her.

"_No! There aren't enough voices! So, I'll add my own!_" she growled and went on chanting. Maverick pursed his mouth, watching her suffer as she continued. Finally, he sighed and turned to face the writhing Twins.

"_We are Nintendo; our luck is in heaven._" he began to say softly, struggling to recall the exact words he long ago had placed all his trust in....

  


  


******

  


  


Nintendo Home Base

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1450 hours

  


"It bounced off the sword, the hookshot and the hammer. All of those things are the main weapons you usually use." Elfin muttered as he watched Sumitra continue spazzing. He had his sunglasses on, blocking out most of the power core's glaring light. The other Links groaned, eyes shut tight as the twins continued muttering hoarsely.

"We know that already! So what's your main weapon?! Hurry up so you can get knocked around like us!" Link yelled. Elfin grinned and stood up.

"My main weapon? It's my whole body." he replied simply and kicked Sumitra into the air. The figurine flew up and writhed as Elfin quickly moved into a roundhouse kick and sent it across the room. It hit the wall and would have touched the floor if he hadn't darted over and spun into another kick to slam it again. The can cracked and sparked with each blow, unable to send back the attack as it was distracted with the flow of new energy.

"Hey, this is kinda fun, too! I'm getting a real good workout from this!" Elfin laughed as he jumped up and delivered another kick that smashed Sumitra into the wall a final time. It shattered into several pieces and clattered to the floor. Link fell over and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey! My strength's back!" he exclaimed in surprise as Waker got up and stretched. "You did it, Elfin! You destroyed the figurine for this world!"

"Yeah, now let's get outta here before something else just as screwed up as this thing decides to attack us!" Elfin declared and grabbed for one of the twins, "Help me with Tweedle Dee and Dumb here!"

  


******

  


  


Above Ruins of Star Fox Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1453 hours

  


Nin and Tendo suddenly stopped moving and stood frozen, staring blankly out at nothing. Maverick blinked and paused in his recitation as Sega and Sony fell silent and watched them. What was going on?

Tendo moved first, bringing his hands down to look at them strangely. He looked around, then at his sister, who mimicked his actions. He cocked his head a bit and looked confused.

"_Nin? What are we doing in space?_" he asked her. Nin mirrored his expression and shrugged. "_I remember going to the core and seeing some funny little thing...but then nothing else._"

"_Tendo!!!_" Sega cried and shot forward, grabbing him in a fierce hug, "_Tendo! You're back to normal! Oh thank the heavens they listened to us and came around again!_" Tendo looked startled by the sudden embrace as Maverick leaned back in space and grinned crookedly.

"_Sony? What are your war ships doing here? This is Nintendo airspace. We have a peace treaty, you know._" Nin said in a low voice, obviously frustrated with what was going on. Sony, Sega and Maverick all suddenly realized the original goal at that moment.

"_Don't you remember anything, Mother?!_" Sony cried as Maverick tried desperately to think of a way to tell the Twins what happened, "_You've destroyed all of your children! Look down there! You burned Star Fox and all of the worlds you've created to ashes! You killed them all!_" Nin and Tendo jerked in shock, then reached out with their power to find their children. Their eyes grew wider when they couldn't feel anyone in their area.

"_What have we done?_" Nin murmured and began to cry, "_Tendo! What did we do? I can't find anyone! I can't find Mario or the Links or Princess Peach!_"

"_I can't find anything either! Sega! What was I doing?!_" Tendo exclaimed, looking at the pixie in horror. Sega gave him an expressionless look.

"_You mean, besides ripping my wings out? Wiping out people left and right._" she replied flatly. Tendo pulled away quickly and looked to his sister.

"_Nin, this is horrible! What will the Players think?! We've destroyed everything we created!_" he cried, "_We've turned into X and Baux!_"

"_Calm down, Tendo!_" Nin blurted and darted her eyes around, thinking as fast as she could, "_We have time, but we don't have energy. It was all used up freeing ourselves, and the voices of the other characters have gone silent. They can't say our prayer any longer, or they'll be killed by their own energy._"

"_What do we do?_" Tendo whispered. Nin closed her eyes, sighed and opened them again, giving her brother a fiercely determined look.

"_We're going to bring them all back. We used Nintendo's Wrath on everything. So we'll have to use the ultimate healing spell to put everything back the way it was!_" she told him. Tendo looked startled, then worried. "_I know we may not have the energy for it, but we can pull it off with our own._"

"_Nin.... We could die...._" Tendo murmured in a low voice. Nin winced slightly and nodded, "_Seems like we don't have a choice anyway. All right. I'll go along with it._"

"_Maverick, I want to say that I'm sorry for whatever we did during our madness._" Nin told the captain.

"You weren't in control of yourself. A figurine from another world was sent here to destroy this world and it chose you two to do it with." Maverick replied, "I'm more concerned with what you two are about to do. We can't use my Backup Copy. Nintendo's advanced too far for it to be of any use." Nin floated up to him and leaned forward. Maverick cringed, then looked surprised when she only murmured something in his ear and then pulled back. After a moment, her words hit home. "You're going to WHAT?!?!" he screamed, "Holy Mother of Miyamoto! Everyone! Get out of here! NOW!"

"_What? Why?_" Sega asked as Maverick flew to her and grabbed her wrist, "_Hey! What's going on?!_"

"Sony! Get out of here! Go to your world! Take your characters with you! Nin and Tendo are going to restart the system!" he shouted at her, "Sega! Warp us back to your system! If we're in this space when they restart, we'll be turned back into our original selves!"

"_But...but...how?!_" Sega sputtered.

"I completely forgot about the last spell that Nin and Tendo had used to rebuild the Game Realm! They're going to...!" Maverick declared as Sony screamed in realization and vanished in a burst of silver light, her remaining ships blinking out of space with her.

"_Holy Yugi Naka! They're gonna use Nintendo's Dream!_" Sega finally caught on, "_We are soooo outta here!_" She vanished in a flurry of blue sparkles, taking Maverick with her. Nin and Tendo nodded at each other and curled up into balls, hugging their knees close to their bodies and closing their eyes, sighing in relaxation as they drifted off to sleep.

  


  


*******

  


  


The _Legacy of Links_

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1450 hours

  


"Hey, guys? What's that?" Link asked, looking out the portholes at a wave of light that was fast approaching them. Allstar and Dark Link looked out with him and shrugged.

"Whatever it is, it's coming this way. Fast." Dark Link murmured.

"Oh, this can't be good." Advance Dark Link groaned as he spotted the wave. "Everyone! Brace for impact!" The little elves strapped themselves into their seats as the other Links looked at each other, then raced for their own.

  


The wave of light hit the _Legacy of Links_ head on, passing through it as the heroes inside cried out in shock, their heads spinning madly as they saw the whole world turn brilliant white, then darkest black.....


	24. Nin and Tendo: Twins of Creation

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Twenty-Two

  


Above Nintendo Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1520 hours

  


"_Hey. Hey, Link! Wake up! Yo! Link! You gonna land or what?!_" a voice snapped and Allstar came to with a shout, falling out of his seat in surprise. He looked up at the viewer and gazed upon the face of GC Fox McCloud. "_Welcome back to the world of the living, Link. Now, are you landing on the planet or what?_" the fox went on.

"What? What's going on? Where are we? What happened? And what are you doing on the Nintendo Homeworld?" Allstar asked as the other Links began to come around and look around groggily, "And I don't know how to land this thing. It's the _Legacy of Links_, Maverick's mothership."

"_Is Maverick there? He should be piloting it._" Fox asked, confused.

"Agh! A Keaton!" Link cried upon spotting Fox, "What does it want?!" Fox pouted.

"_I'm not a Keaton! Link, what is up with the FanFics on board that ship? Did they pass the survey?_" he demanded. Allstar brought up a finger in warning.

"You mention those damn questions one more time, I'll find a way to ram this thing up your ass." he growled.

"_Hey, those 'damn questions' were all your idea, Mr. Hero of Time and Space! Now hold on. I'm getting an incoming transmission._" Fox snapped and looked aside momentarily. He suddenly looked shocked and yelped, "_Allstar Link?! What the?! But, you're on the Legacy of Links, aren't you?! I just got done telling you off!!_"

"_Fox McCloud, this is the **real** Allstar N64/GC Link speaking. The one on board the Legacy of Links is from another dimension. If you're about to warp into another StarFox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet game, do me a favor and send a few Arwings up to guard the ship until Maverick and the others arrive._" Alt Link declared, "_I received a transmission from Maverick at the Sega Planet. Nin and Tendo had used Nintendo's Dream to restart the system. We are all back in our last remembered positions and memory. Maverick had to tell me everything that had happened recently._"

"_What? Not again! Man, X and Baux are really starting to annoy me. How did they manage to kill us all this time?!_" Fox grumbled. "_All right. What's your ETA?_"

"_Ten minutes or seconds. I can't be sure._"

"_Well, why not?!_"

"_Sony Song and Sega Sprite are with Maverick. They'll be transporting us to your world once they're ready._"

"_Remind me why Maverick is good friends with nearly all of the Game Realm's Entities?_"

The question was dropped when one little girl with fairy wings and one woman in a regally flowing dress suddenly materialized in Nintendo Homeworld's airspace, followed soon after by the sudden appearance of the _Queen of Hyrule_, the Zelda planet's flagship. Allstar and Dark Link watched as a shadow passed through the wall of the majestic ship and headed their way.

"Maverick, what happened? What's Nintendo's Dream?" the heroes started asking questions as Maverick appeared in the ship and solidified.

"Is that the wave of light that hit us? And what happened to all the little Links that were piloting the ship?" Waker asked, one of the few to notice that the other personas were missing.

"They were reset into nothingness. Don't bawl; the originals are still in my head. I can summon them again when I need to so there's no real loss of life." Maverick replied, "Though I'm not suprised that all of you weren't affected by the spell. I knew that since Nin and Tendo didn't have memory of you guys, they couldn't reset you. Powerful as the spell is, it won't touch anything that the Twins have no direct memories of or that came from another dimensional plane."

"Say that again? You lost me around the part where half a dozen kids were turned into nothing." Elfin grumbled as the others stood dumbfounded.

"I'll explain AFTER we find the Twins!" Maverick yelled and called out. "Zee! Hyperjump to the Star Fox Homeworld! Now!"

"_Hyperspace engine commencing jump sequence. All systems are green. Prepare for hyperjump in five...four...three...two...one...." _Zee replied and the _Legacy of Links_ disappeared in a flash of light.

"_Can I get back to the game now? The Player must be wondering why I'm just standing in the middle of Moon Mountain Pass doing nothing when he's jamming the Start Button over and over._" Fox grumbled.

"_First rule of the Game Realm: Don't break the fourth wall! Dammit, Fox, get back to work!_" Alt Link yelled, "_Sega! Sony! Can you get us to where Maverick is going?!_" The Entities nodded and they all vanished in a blink of light.

  


*******

  


  


Above Star Fox Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1521 hours

  


Maverick scanned the space intently as the other heroes peeked out over his shoulder, searching for something out of place. As they looked, Maverick explained about the wave of light they had seen.

"That is the spell called _Nintendo's Dream_, the most powerful spell ever known in this realm. It is capable of resetting Entities to their original status if they are touched by the wave of light you saw. The logs on my ship are erased, reset by that same wave." he explained, "The Twins created the spell after The Great Collision occured between Games and Humanity and destroyed the Game Realm. The other Entities rebuilt the realm, but the Twins restarted everything with that spell."

"Why would it affect the other Entities? Wouldn't their own god-like powers make them immune?" Link asked, curious about what they were looking for.

"No. Nintendo Co., Ltd. was the company that started the whole game industry and everyone came after it. What affects Nintendo would ultimately affect everyone else. So Nin and Tendo's spells would affect everything in this realm, including Entities and FanFics." Maverick replied, "The only bad thing about the spell is that it drains the Twins dry of energy and since they didn't have much of it left after all the characters had been killed and the prayers stopped, they were forced to use their own life energy to power the spell. _Nintendo's Dream_ can only be used when the Twins are in a deep sleep, using all their energy to make their dreams of the realm come to life."

"What are we looking for?" Elfin muttered, bottom lip jutting out as he frowned at the black emptiness of space. Maverick spotted a faint splash of pink and blue and jumped up.

"There they are!" he cried and turned into a shadow again, flying out to reach the floating Twins. Using the Power Pearl to become solid and remain alive in space, he wrapped his arms around both children and bit his lip. The Twins looked pale and made no movements or sounds to show they were alive. Carefully, Maverick flew back to the ship, mentally ordering Zee to open a chamber for him to fly into.

  


Once on board the ship, Maverick set the Twins down and felt for pulses. He found them after a bit of searching and winced when he felt them to be extremely weak. He thought carefully, then opened his medallion, showing off the marble sized pearl of golden energy hidden within. He reached in and pulled it out, holding it up for inspection. This was the Power Pearl, his source of life energy. Since abandoning Nintendo meant he abandoned the Power Core, the Twins gave him the Power Pearl to live off of while he wandered the stars. Every few years, they would find him and give him a recharge so the Pearl would continue supporting him.

"Tendo, you're the healer. Take this and heal Nin, please! Don't die! If you die, all of Nintendo will die again and your spell to revive them will have been for nothing!" Maverick whispered and set the Power Pearl on Tendo's heart. The pearl gleamed and vanished, lighting up the boy in golden light. When it faded, Tendo seemed more healthy looking. He opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing his head.

"Maverick? What? Nin!" he exclaimed and crawled to his sister, "Nin! Wake up!" Nin didn't move. Her brother bit his lip and sighed. Holding up his hands, he glowed a soft blue color. "_Tendo Spirit Healer! Bring my sister from the clutches of oblivion and return her heart and spirit to me!_" he intoned and the golden haired girl was covered in light. Maverick turned away to keep from being blinded, then looked again when the light faded. Nin was sitting up, looking slightly groggy but much healthier. Tendo helped her stand as Maverick followed suit.

"What happened? I thought we'd be dead by now." Nin asked her brother then fell silent upon seeing Maverick.

"He helped." Tendo muttered, looking at him in irritation, "He gave me his Power Pearl and told me to heal you."

"Maverick! Without the Pearl, you could have died yourself!" Nin cried and ran to hug him, "Take some of the energy that we've created! Don't you dare die on me!"

"Don't worry too much about me. After all, if you had died, what would there be for me to live for, other than find the Source of Souls?" Maverick murmured, cheek resting on her head. Tendo snorted and stomped off.

"Come on, Sis! We've got to go to the Nintendo Homeworld and power up the core again! We have work to do and...!" he started to yell and stopped in his tracks when a familiar squeal of joy sounded.

"Tendo!!! You're alive!" Sega cried as she rushed forward and leaped into his arms, sending them both tumbling to the floor. Sony stood nearby, smiling and chuckling softly to herself as she watched the sprite attempt to kiss the boy, who struggled to get free. "Oh, my little cutie! My sweetie! My handsome hero in shining blue armor!"

"Sony! Get her off of me! Help!" Tendo wailed. The other Links rushed down to see what the noise was about and broke into laughter at the sight.

"Give your girlfriend a kiss, Tendo!" Dark Link taunted and howled in laughter as Allstar held his sides with one arm and used his free hand to wipe tears away. Nin giggled as she cuddled Maverick, who only grinned knowingly at the two blue-clad Entities on the floor.

  


********

  


  


Nintendo Homeworld

Game Realm P.C.

Time: 1530 hours

  


"Well, the Power Core is fully charged again. Everything's back to the way it should be and we're ready to continue with the next wave of games." Nin remarked once everyone was rested and refreshed. Sony and Sega nodded agreeably.

"I'm glad to hear of that. Sony of the Realm of Humanity must be looking forward to the competition." Sony Song remarked, "I expect my parents to come out with some real winners. We have reputations to maintain!"

"Hey, no sweat! We've got Miyamoto, the developing genius!" Tendo replied with a thumb's-up, "Our games are gonna rock the Realm of Humanity!" Sega caught him in another hug and grinned hugely as he looked startled, turning red.

"With a big help from the software and games from the Sega Corporation and meee!" she laughed and nuzzled him, "Isn't that right, Honey?!"

"Eh, yeah, sure...." Tendo stammered, rubbing his head and looking embarrassed.

"Sorry again about the questionaire we put you guys through. It's regulation, you know." Alt Link told the Allstar Twins.

"I'd punch you if you weren't me." Allstar grumbled as Dark Link elbowed him, then rubbed his side.

"What my brother meant to say was that we understand and accept the apology." he replied.

"It's time to go to my world! Time to go to my world!" Waker cheered and jumped up and down. Maverick nodded and walked to the group of Links.

"Leaving already? Where are you going?" Nin asked worriedly. Maverick looked back at her silently. She blinked and then nodded. "I see. I see the whole adventure in your mind. I could stop you from going, you know."

"Would you?" Maverick asked. Nin shook her head and sighed as Tendo scowled at him, still trying to pry Sega off of his arm.

"It wouldn't be fair. Just come back to me safely,okay?" she asked and held out a new pearl of golden energy. "Take this with you. It's good for another five years of energy." Maverick accepted the Power Pearl and replaced it in his medallion. "Good luck." she added and suddenly stood on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. Maverick looked startled, then turned a slight shade of red, nodding briefly at her. The other Links grinned and started whistling and making catcalls, cheering him on.

"Hey! Maverick! Stay away from my sister!" Tendo yelled, shaking a fist at him, "You don't deserve her!"

"Why not worry about Sega? She's the one who's glued herself to ya!" Maverick called back with a grin as he placed a hand on Waker's shoulder. Tendo scowled and turned red as the sprite reached up and played with his hair, laughing. "And not to worry, Nin! I'll return when the quest is complete!"

"I'm warning you, Mav! Stay away from her!" Tendo yelled again just as the group of Links vanished with the aid of the IDG capsule. He blinked away tears as the light faded. "And come back safely, renegade...." he added softly as the Entities resumed their own duties, returning to their worlds.


	25. Tetra's Ticked Off, Link: Better Do Her ...

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Twenty-Three

  


  


Davenport Town

Delih Island

Time: 1000 hours

  


"Um, this isn't Hyrule." Link mumbled as the group of heroes stared at the bustling little town on the island. Waker looked around and sighed, shaking his head.

"We went off course. This island is about four days from New Hyrule. We'll need to use a boat to get to the island." he replied with a groan, "And the King of Red Lions is too small for you guys!"

"Should we spoil the ending to the game and tell Link who the the boat is?" Allstar whispered to his brother, arms folded behind his head. Dark Link made a face.

"And risk losing profit from more people not buying it to find out themselves? Nintendo of America is in a deep enough hole as it is, let's not ruin them even further by not allowing them to be able to make enough money to do other stuff than just translating our games for the U.S." he griped.

"NOA is broke?" Allstar murmured in surprise as Maverick walked ahead to a cafe, "Hey! Food! Wait up!" Cheering at the prospect of eating something other than Maverick's synthesized food and Alt Link's health food, the older Links raced for the cafe.

A pretty waitress greeted them and had them all seated by a window overlooking the ocean as she hurried off with menus and drinks. Waker leaned back against his chair and grinned as Allstar and Dark Link looked around in wonder.

"Cel-shaded or not, this place looks fabulous compared to the graphics I had!" Allstar remarked.

"This isn't the game. It's not cel-shaded, Bro. I'm just surprised at how bright and real it all looks!" Dark Link murmured in awe. He looked suddenly pained and turned to his brother. "We've lived in the Game Realm all our lives and have only seen the real world a couple of times. Are we being denied something wonderful by just being nothing but video game heroes and villains?" he asked.

"We aren't meant to live in the Realm of Humanity." Allstar sighed as the waitress returned with glasses of tea and juice for them. "The Great Collision proved that to us. If we were to live among the Players and Programmers, the Humans, we'd never have peace."

"Don't tell me you two are bawling over the fact that you're stuck in your world forever!" Elfin exclaimed over his glass of tea. "Thanks to you guys, I can see that video games aren't just games! They're the culmination of lots of people's hard work solely for Players, like my kids, to enjoy and have fun with, too!"

"Haven't you seen the cosplay costumes in _EGM_?" Maverick asked after sipping at his tea, "Or are you so airheaded that you only read _Nintendo_ _Power_? You already don't get peace, what with hundreds of Players dressing up like you two and going to video game conventions like E3 in those getups."

"Those people are staring at us." Link murmured under his breath, looking at a group of pirates that watched them. He clutched his cup of juice and poked at Waker, "Who are those people? They keep staring at us!" Waker blinked and looked over at the pirates. He frowned.

"I don't know. They're not in Tetra's crew." he muttered as one got up and walked to them.

"Eh, ah, which one a youse guys is Link?" he asked, scratching his head in confusion. Allstar snickered and leaned back, relaxing.

"Which one ya want? We're all some kind of Link!" he replied with a grin. The pirate thought a bit and then smiled brightly as if he had just had a great idea.

"Yeah, Link the Hero of Time and Winds, the chosen WindWaker and eh, what was that last part? Oh yeah, crewman to Tetra, the Golden Pirate!" he recited and looked expectantly at them.

"There's that Hero of Time and Winds thing again. For the last time, _I'm_ the Hero of Time!" Link shouted in frustration. The pirate scratched at the tip of his nose and furrowed his brows.

"Eh, we're looking for the Hero of Time _and_ Winds. Not just the Hero of Time. We know the stories. He's dead." he replied. Link turned white and slumped back in shock as Allstar raised an eyebrow and then nodded.

"Oh yeah, that whole 'hundreds of years later' scheme. Yeah, Link, you'd be dead after a few hundred years." he told him, "Don't get so worked up about it. I've died a couple of times. Hasn't changed me much." he said with a bright smile. He jerked a thumb back at Dark Link. "Same with him!"

"Shut up." Dark Link grumbled and sipped at his cup of coffee. Waker sighed and raised his hand.

"The Link you're looking for is me. What is it?" he asked the pirate. The pirate looked relieved.

"Oh good. Well, ya see, the esteemed Princess Zelda sent out a notice by Rito post mail to every island in the Great Sea to find ya." he reported, "Seems she's mighty mad that a big storm's ripping New Hyrule apart and there's no WindWaker to calm it down. She's been looking for ya. She's even got the Golden Pirate, Capt. Tetra, hunting you down!"

"Heh, heh, they don't have a clue." Allstar snickered again. Dark Link glared at him.

"Don't give it away, you dork. We'll lose money." he pointed out. Allstar's mouth clapped shut. The mere thought of losing money kept him quiet.

"Tetra? Is she here?!" Waker yelped in shock. The door to the cafe was kicked open and a woman stormed in, blonde hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in the tattered clothes most pirates were known to wear. A red bandanna tied around her neck completed her ensemble, the blue vest bringing out the color of her deep blue eyes.

"Yes, she's here!!" she yelled at him, "Link, where the hell have you been?! I've been scouring the Great Sea looking for your sorry ass and you're here in some rat's hole, drinking yuppie water with a bunch of guys in the same freakish getup you still have?!" Waker smiled bashfully, a sweat drop coming down his head.

"Uh, nice to see you, too, Tetra." he managed to stammer out. Tetra grabbed him by the front of the tunic and hauled him up to her.

"Nice to see me?! Boy, have you any idea what the hell's been happening to New Hyrule?!" she screamed at him as she shook him. "You've got to get back there and fix that mess!"

"Storm's gotten worse?" Waker asked sheepishly.

"THAT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT!!!" Tetra screamed at him and threw him back down onto the floor, "Get on the boat!"

"But...but...my friends...." Waker babbled as he tried to get up. Tetra planted a foot on his chest and pinned him.

"Then they all get on the boat! You're coming back to New Hyrule and getting rid of that Goddesses-damned storm that's already torn up the Lost Woods and half the bloody island!" she raged, "And I'll kick your sorry ass from here to Outset Island if you so much as try to use the WindWaker to warp yourself back there without me!"

"Zelda's mad." Allstar remarked calmly as Dark Link snickered at Waker, still sipping at his coffee.

"According to the readout from Zero, Waker has been missing from this world for a month and a half." Maverick remarked and clapped the SPC shut, tucking it back under his armor, "I suggest we do as the lady says." The Links got up and headed out of the cafe, Tetra dragging Waker along and shooting angry glares at the head of the cafe.

"On the house or this island is my next target!" she threatened as they headed for her ship. The owner gulped and nodded quickly.

  


*******

  


Tetra's Ship

Great Sea

Time: 1100 hours

  


Elfin raised an eyebrow as he watched Allstar and Dark Link introduce the ocean to their breakfast. The group had been sailing only an hour and already the Allstar Twins were getting seasick. Link sat on a barrel, thinking about the strange new world that replaced the familiar sights and sounds of Hyrule. Tetra had ordered her pirate crew to set sail and to raise the King of Red Lions alongside them like a life boat. She then dragged Waker into her room and slammed the door shut. Much shouting and screaming ensued.

"Either he's losing his virginity in there, or Tetra's acting like a woman PMSing." Elfin muttered and sighed, "She acts like my boss back home. I swear I would've gone deaf if I hadn't learned to keep a set of earplugs on hand."

"Dude, rated 'E', man...." Allstar managed to croak back at him with a frown, before retching and returning to the ocean view.

"This coming from the Link that likes to curse us out for taking his money." Elfin remarked with a grin and jumped as a very loud thud sounded. The Links looked toward the door of the captain's cabin, all with expressions of puzzlement and expectancy. What exactly was going on in there?

"Ummm...." Link murmured as Maverick grumbled and stormed to the door. "Maverick?!" The rouge Link glared at him, then pressed his ear to the door. After a moment of listening, he nodded and melted into a shadow, slipping through the door. "Maverick!!!"

"Tetra's gonna kill him." Allstar muttered and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. He slowly pulled away from the side of the ship and sighed, "Okay, I feel a bit better now." Dark Link glared back at him.

"You made me seasick. I never had a problem with the water before." he grumbled. Allstar shrugged. "We need to update your tolerance programs again." Maverick flew back out of the cabin just then and reformed on the deck.

"Well?" Link asked him, "What's going on in there?" Maverick glanced at him and, after a moment, smiled.

"WindWaker Link is getting a rather interesting lesson. I merely suggested a few 'positions' for Tetra to try with him." he replied smugly and walked away. The Links all looked at each other and turned bright red, glancing back at the door where strange muffled sounds continued to emanate.

"How old is that kid again? I can't tell whether this can be classified as statutory rape. Does it count if there's no law on a pirate ship?" Elfin muttered, searching through his little notepad and flipping pages, all the while feeling his ears burn.

"Yo, Maverick! Where'd you learn about those positions again?!" Allstar called out and ran after him, "Hey! Can you tell me a few?! Zelda might get a kick out of it!"

"You're all sick! You hear me?! Sick, sick, sick!" Link shouted after them. Dark Link relaxed against the mast and sighed, shaking his head.

"If that's the case, we're in for a loooong trip." he muttered, "Links have real good stamina....."

  


*****

  


Time: 1500 hours

  


Dark Link drummed his fingers on the wooden table as Waker squirmed in his seat, blushing bright red and staring down at his plate. Link was watching him intently, a disapproving frown on his face. Elfin continued flipping through his notes as Allstar grinned hugely. Maverick merely gazed at the paintings and charts hung on the walls as Tetra rapped the table sharply for attention.

"All right! We'll be arriving at New Hyrule in four days' time! Three if I can get Link to keep the wind at our backs! All of you wannabes can help him out, but if you screw up and get him killed, I'm dropping your asses in the drink!" she declared and paused to shoot poisonous glares at Allstar. "Find something amusing, landlubber?!"

"How long did he last?" Allstar asked with a grin.

"Longer than you could, limp noodle! Pay attention!" Tetra barked. Allstar squeaked and hunched over, shocked by the way she answered. "The Sages have been ranting to me about the source of the commotion! It's right here!" Tetra went on and slapped a map onto the table, then stabbed at a spot on it with her sword, pinning it to the wood. "Death Mountain! You guys are to get up there, find that source and beat the holy shit out of it!" she ordered. Link raised a hand. "What?!"

"Do you know what happened to the original Hero of Time?" Link asked meekly. Tetra frowned and looked up at the ceiling.

"The Sages say that he was ambushed upon returning to Hyrule long, long ago. One of Ganon's minions shot a poison dart at him and took him to the Temple of Time, then murdered him to break the seal on the Evil Realm." she said in a monotonous tone, "Ganon placed a spell on his body to preserve him until he could gather enough power to convert the Hero of Time into the Warrior of Darkness, his personal right-hand henchman. But the ghost of the Hero of Time continued to fight him and finally killed himself to stop the nightmare that tortured his soul. Two years ago, he gave his soul to Link to save his life and passed on to the other world. His memories, his knowledge, his abilities were transferred to him. Thus Link came to be the Hero of Time as well as the Hero of Winds." She sighed and looked back at the group. "He was murdered, then committed suicide, then made a sacrifice to save a life. He died thrice and for that, Link the Hero of Time is truly immortalized."

"See? Told you you'd be dead." Allstar told Link.

"Enough! Now we're going to sail to New Hyrule and get you as close to Death Mountain as we can!" Tetra snapped, "The peak is on the southwestern island. We can land the ship at the base of the range, but it'll be up to you to get to Death Mountain's peak and stop that storm. Each island that makes up New Hyrule is besieged by storms. Link, you keep the winds around us steady. We'll do the land no good being fish food."

"Okay. I can already see a path we can take." Link remarked and traced a line on the map with his finger, "There's a small cove here just south of the mountains. Land there and we can take this 'Wolfang's Pass' to Death Mountain, following the lee of the range."

"That'll work. If the winds rotate to throw us off, Waker can redirect them away. Right?" Allstar remarked, studying the map. Waker nodded.

"All right then. From the pass, we use this cave here to take shelter in and then prepare for the climb. Who is next to fight the figurine?" Link asked as he gazed up at the group. The Links looked at each other in confusion.

"I defeated the one in Old Hyrule." Waker murmured.

"And I destroyed the one in Gallera." Link added, nodding.

"I destroyed the figurine of Nintendo Pre-Cataclysm." Maverick pointed out.

"While I beat the one in Nintendo Post-Cataclysm." Elfin put in, "That leaves...." The group looked at the Allstar Twins. Allstar blinked at them.

"What? You mean me and Dark Link have to get this one?" he asked in confusion. The group looked flatly at them.

"We're gonna fucking die." Link muttered, burying his face in his arms with a groan.


	26. A Few Good Thoughts, ehhh Sorta

The Day the Universes Collided

  


_Through the Eyes of a Swabbie_

  


From the Logs of Niko Dagoo:

  


_Day One:_

  


_ I saw a wondrous sight t'day, Journal! Six Heroes! I counted them all meself! There was Link of course, my old swabbie, but the new laddies call him Waker. I suppose it suits him, he does 'wake' the wind after all! Who are the others, ye ask? Well, lemme tell ye about 'em._

_ There's this one that carries a sword of gold and stares out at the sea with the most sorrowful of expressions on his face. The landlubbers call this one the 'true' Link. I've seen his picture in Ms. Tetra's books and paintings of the Hero of Time. I suppose he doesn't like the idea of a great ocean covering up his old homeland._

_ Now, there's this other bloke with a strange small mask on his face and a fairy sittin' on his shoulder. He calls himself Elfin and follows Waker around constantly, pestering the swabbie about rape and what-not. I told him right then and there that me old pal, Waker, wouldn't do no rapes, 'specially not when Ms. Tetra's around, the possessive little lassie. Elfin merely gives me this little sneer and walks off, yammering nonsense about police this and officer that. He needs a good drink, if ye ask me, Journal._

_ Then there's the twins, Allstar and Dark Link. I read the tales of a Dark Link from days of old, the most evil warrior ever created. Then Ms. Tetra showed me another book. Said that there was another Dark Link that lived long ago that was made to protect the old Link. Whatever. These two blokes yammer constantly about strange games and work and money when they're not busy heaving their meals over the starboard side._

_ Finally, there's that little fella that stands off by his lonesome, watching the bunch of them and never says a word to anyone unless he feels like it. He's got these scars on his face that the others don't have and wears strange armor. I asked him about them after Ms. Tetra dismissed us all from that meetin' in the mess hall. Told me he got them in a bloody war that cost him his family and friends. A war vet'ran, Journal! We got us a war vet'ran on board!_

  


_ Ms. Tetra says we sail for New Hyrule to end the curse of the storm. Ms. Tetra, truly, the esteemed Princess Zelda, isn't exactly happy with the fact that it's torn up a good chunk of acreage. Considering that the Sages are haunting her dreams with their reports and visions and whatnot, I don't blame the lassie. I have only one fear though, Journal. The way the new swabbies looked when Allstar looked stupefied by the idea of him and his brother having to defeat the curse did seem to say that we haven't a prayer._

_ Journal, I don't suppose the Goddesses will look out for us again, do ye?_

  


  


_*******_

  


  


_Day Two:_

  


_ Waker stands at Ms. Tetra's side at the bow of the Regalion, our faithful ship, conducting the winds to stay at our backs and speed us to the mainland. Me, I tend to watch the new boys. Ms. Tetra's orders._

  


_ T'day, Allstar regaled the ocean with this morning's fixin's after yelling some hour or two about the lack of proper cooking and preparations. Dark Link did the same, minus the rants. He gave his brother quite an earful about making him sick of water. 'Twas an entertaining squabble they had later over a loaf of fresh made bread that Nudge set out. In the end, Ms. Tetra kicked 'em in the shins and gave the bread to Waker to divvy up to the bunch. Maverick, that's the Scar-Boy's name, Journal, had a good laugh about that. I learned the bloke's name after Elfin yelled it out. Seems he was using Elfin's fairy as target practice for his little pistol._

  


_ I had a chat with that Link fella, sittin' on our drinking water barrel. He had some interesting stories. He talked about old Hyrule, 'bout the lands and the forests, and the lake to the west. He even talked about the desert far to the west, where Ganondorf once ruled over a tribe of women thieves. All women, only one man every hund'rd years was born. Damn shame those women didn't make it to this day and age. I might have had me a damn fine pirate's wife!_

  


_ Journal, ye think I could land a fine wife someday? Ms. Tetra's looking 'specially pretty when she's happy and smilin', but she's chased Link, eh, Waker I mean, from here to the Tower of the Gods. I wonder if either of them keep it up just for the fun of it. Waker looks awfully reddish whenever Ms. Tetra looks his way. Ye think it has somethin' to do with yesterday's shenanigans, Journal?_

  


  


_**********_

  


  


_Day Three:_

  


_ Journal, I think the blokes have gone mad._

  


_ Allstar whipped out this odd mask this mornin', looked like his face painted up with red and blue marks and white hair. He holds it up to his face, doesn't actually put it on, and sneaks up behind Link. He screams like a banshee and the boy damn near jumps ship! Here's the kicker, though. He turns around to yell at Allstar, takes a good look at the mask, and damned if I've never seen him turn so white before! The two spent a good chunk of the mornin' running in circles on the deck, Allstar chasin' and laughin' his fool head off while Link's screaming bloody murder and something about a Fierce Deity with destructive powers. Dark Link's nearby, threatenin' Allstar with certain dooms and other painful things. I learned somethin' int'restin', Journal. If ye hit Allstar in the arm and bruise the bloke, the same bruise shows up on Dark Link, exactly the same as the first one. But if ye hit Dark Link first and give him a bruise, nothin' happens to Allstar. How do I know this, Journal? I tested it out by hittin' 'em._

  


_ Eh, yeah, that explains me bloody nose, Journal. Allstar and Dark Link ain't exactly happy 'bout the bruises. Somethin' about a fat plumber bein' pissed at them about 'flawed skin' or some crap like that._

  


_ Maverick's taken ta shootin' the fish in the sea. He's got a pack on him that he hasn't shown the others yet that's got all kinds of weapons and armors in it. He showed me one of 'em. It's like a cannon, but thin and silvery colored. He mounted it on his shoulder, peeped into this eyepiece that's on the side of it and held down the trigger. After a few seconds, during which the cannon was glowin' at the end of the barrel, he let go of the trigger. Damn! A big ass ball of something glowing and yellow shot out of that cannon and slammed the water! Steam and dead fish came up from the sea and he grins at me. I asked him what he called that demon gun._

_ "The Super Scope." he tells me._

  


_ Journal, I want one of those fer Winter Solstice._

  


_ Oh yeah, 'fore I ferget again, Elfin and Maverick have been looking at these funny little things with magic mirrors and buttons on 'em. They called up another meetin' and we all went to find out what was happenin'. Ms. Tetra spent most of t'day with Waker in her quarters. Both of them are looking kinda pinkish at the face. 'Bout time Waker got some; the boy was starting to worry me._

_ We've reached New Hyrule t'day, Journal. We'll be gettin' to the heart of it in a bit, after the meetin'. Waker's gonna be surroundin' the Regalion with a bubble of wind so's to keep the storm from tearing into us. I'm glad for that kid. New Hyrule's looking worse, what with flotsam and jetsam everywhere, clouds as black as death's shroud and winds screaming like banshees in eternal torment._

  


_ I gotta go, Journal, the meetin's about ta start and Allstar looks like he wants to whip out that mask again. Link's shooting the evil eye at him and Dark Link's doin' the same to me. I s'pose he's not entirely forgiven me for that experimentin' I did to him. Elfin and Maverick aren't lookin' happy. I think somethin's bad about to happen._

  


_ Journal, ya think the Goddesses will hear me prayin' in me head? I don't want to die. And I don't want these swabbies dyin' neither, they're good men. Strange, but good._

_ Oh, Ms. Tetra's callin' to order. Better close up fer t'day......_


	27. The End of the Road? Part 1

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Twenty-Four

  


  


New Hyrule

Great Sea

Time: 1300 hours

  


  


"We've lost contact." Elfin said flatly after everyone was settled into their seats around the table. There was a few minutes of silence as this information sank in. Allstar looked around, then raised his hand.

"What do you mean, we've lost contact? Contact with who?" he asked, confused. Maverick held up the SPC, showing the white screen it displayed. On it was a large pink Q that flashed on and off every second or so.

"We've lost contact with Zero. Something is blocking his signal to us, so we can't call him or send him info about the figurine, nor can he send us its exact location or weaknesses." he replied, "Whoever can hack my SPC's transmission signal must be either powerful and intelligent, or so stupid as to pass for smart."

"So, we're on our own?" Link asked in surprise, "And we can't go home when we're done?"

"We're not sure. That's what the meeting is for. What should we do now that Zero can't help us anymore? Of course, destroy the figurine, but should we also try to use the capsule to warp home?" Elfin put forward to heroes, "If the signal to our computers was blocked, who's to say that the same thing hasn't happened to the IDG?" A feeling of uneasiness settled in the room.

"So....we could be trapped here? Forever?" Link asked softly. Elfin and Maverick nodded slowly. Allstar and Dark Link looked at each other, worried.

"If we don't return home, we can never star in the _Ocarina of Time_ games. They'll all fail eventually. And _Soul Calibur II_ will probably mess up without me in the ranks." Allstar murmured.

"One of the Koopa Kids will steal my position as Prince of the Dark Side. If they take over and become King or Queen in Wendy's case, the Dark Side of Nintendo will fall into chaos." Dark Link whispered. Maverick suddenly slammed his fist into the wood table, causing everyone to jump in alarm.

"I won't allow myself to be stuck in some other Link's world!!" he yelled angrily, "I have a mission to complete and a life to live! Nin's waiting for me! I won't let her or my mentors down!" The other heroes stood up, startling Tetra and her crew.

"Yeah! We may be isolated from Zero, but since when have the Links become so dependent on a single source of information that we fall to pieces when it leaves us?!" Waker declared.

"Links don't fail! We'll beat that figurine and find our way home!" Dark Link added with a proud grin. The heroes cheered and raced out of the room, Tetra hot on their heels and yelling all kinds of insults about their intelligence and sanity.

  


Waker conducted at the bow of the ship, surrounding it with a protective swirl of winds as it eased into the cove nearest Death Mountain. The other Links looked up at it and frowned collectively. The space directly over Death Mountain was perfectly calm and clear, but around it was stormy and chaotic.

"Land ho!" Tetra declared and looked back at the group. "Okay, boys, go do your thing." The Links nodded and headed off the ship, bracing themselves for the winds. Waker looked back at them and sighed.

"Guys, I have to stay here and protect the ship. If I stop conducting, the wind shield will disappear and the ship will be torn apart." he told them, "So stop the figurine and then come back here. I'll give you the capsule then."

"Sounds like a plan." Allstar declared and looked out at the storm. "It's Iron Boot time!" He looked down at his feet. "Master Control Allstar N64 Link code ZN641-KF Level A Iron Boots! Activate!" The Kokiri Boots he wore glowed a bright white, then faded to reveal the Iron Boots. "Yep, least the connection to our world still works."

"Get to it, Glitter!" Elfin declared and the pink fairy spun around his boots, covering it with fairy dust.

_"I summon the weight of a thousand men to hold you fast! Lead Boots!"_ she declared. The boots transformed to a dark gray variation and she zipped up under his hat, _"Okay, now don't call me out or I'll get whisked away and then you'll never see me again and you'll be real sorry and start missing me and...."_

"Glitter, stop babbling!" Elfin yelled as the others laughed at him. Maverick looked towards Dark Link and both nodded, melting into shadows and slipping into the shadows of Allstar and Elfin.

"Okay! Let's go!" Link declared and headed out into the wind, head bent and hand holding his hat down. The others followed him as Waker continued conducting, watching them worriedly.

  


*********

  


Wolfang Pass

Death Mountain Range

Time: 1400 hours

  


  


"Well, ain't this a kick in the ass?" Elfin grumbled as the Links huddled in the cave. The winds had grown stronger and now were circling the mountain, making it difficult to climb.

"Will our boots still be able to hold us down?" Link asked warily as they looked up at Death Mountain. Elfin shrugged as Maverick tried to contact Zero again. The signal continued to be blocked and the captain finally gave up on it.

"Let's keep moving. The longer we wait, the worse the winds will become." Dark Link murmured from within Allstar's shadow. Maverick returned to Elfin's shadow and they pressed on, moving sluggishly against the wind as they trekked through Wolfang Pass.

  


Death Mountain loomed above them an hour later. The heroes crouched low as they began to make their way up the mountain, gripping onto any ledges and cracks they could find as they climbed. Pressed against the sides of the mountain, the Links inched higher and higher. Unable to speak for fear of having their breaths stolen, the silent heroes continued on.

Suddenly, a fierce blast of wind swept across them, nearly tearing them from their precarious positions near the peak of the mountain. Allstar pressed his cheek against the rock, wincing as it scraped the skin. The other Links followed suit, shutting their eyes tightly as the winds howled and tore at them. Then, just as they were beginning to crumble under the onslaught, the wind died. Totally. Completely. There was no wind around at all, but the storm continued around them and the mountain.

"What happened?" Link finally dared to ask. Elfin looked around warily and continued his climb.

"I don't know, but I'm not gonna just hang out here and wait for the change in weather. Let's move it!" he declared and shimmied up to the ledge above him. Link and the Allstar twins scrambled up after him and stood there, resting before facing the figurine that stood stoically behind them.

For a few brief moments, they were stunned. Then the Links were just confused. The figurine looked like a large chess piece, a king, with two crystals that floated beside it. The king had arms that it waved about in a flowing rhythm and the crystals hummed a melody that was oddly familiar.

"Sooooo...what is it?" Allstar asked as Dark Link and Maverick re-emerged and studied the figurine. Mav set to scanning the strange thing as Allstar and Dark Link both walked up and circled it, trying to gauge it as a viable threat.

"No information available." Maverick suddenly reported and frowned, clapping the SPC shut. "Damn. You're on your own, guys." Allstar growled and folded his arms on his chest. Link cocked his head and brightened.

"Hey! That rhythm! It's the Storm King's Bolero! Remember how Waker moved when he conducted it back in Hyrule Castle?" he exclaimed excitedly. The group looked at the figurine. "It's copying Waker's music! It's playing the bolero to summon the storms and spread them all over the islands!" Allstar growled again, glaring at the figurine.

"This sucks. What do we do?" he grumbled.

"Try hitting it with your sword!" Link called out. He grinned, "I want to see if you get sent flying again!"

"Shut up." Allstar muttered under his breath, glaring sidelong at him, "Dark Link, what do you think we should do now?"

"I think that these crystals here are the weak point. See how they're just kinda bobbing there?" Dark Link replied, pointing at the two white diamond shapes that hovered up and down in sync with each other.

"Okay, so let's whack 'em with the swords." Allstar said with a shrug and pulled out his Master Sword. Dark Link nodded and pulled out his copy, the Mirror Sword.

"Hyaaah!" both Links declared as they slammed one of the crystals with the swords. The crystal flashed yellow and began blinking. The twins blinked down at it.

"Uh. That's...not a good thing...is it?" Allstar asked, glancing at his brother. Dark Link looked back at him and shrugged slightly. "Sooo...are we screwed?"

"What the hell did you do?!" Elfin yelled at them.

"Damned if I know!" Allstar snapped back and the crystal suddenly let out a brilliant flash of light. "Now what?!"

The figurine continued conducting as a blast of wind swooped in and hit the Links head on at full force. The heroes yelled in surprise and fell to the ground, digging into the earth to try to stay on the ledge. Allstar and Dark Link tried to brace themselves, caught off guard by the gale.

"Guys! Get down! You're going to be knocked over the edge!" Link cried, clawing deeper into the rock to hang on. Maverick grabbed onto a stone that jut up from the ledge and held on tightly, gasping for air.

"T-trying!" Dark Link stammered and screamed as he was finally swept off his feet and hurled over the edge of the cliff, overwhelmed by the hurricane force winds.

"DARK LINK!" Allstar shrieked and turned to leap after him as the others screamed in horror. The twins vanished over the edge, plummeting towards the earth thousands of feet below them......


	28. The End of the Road? Part 2

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Twenty-Five

  


  


Regalion

New Hyrule

Time: 1325 hours

  


"You're worried about them, huh?" Tetra murmured as she watched Waker conduct at the bow of the ship. The hero bit his lip and nodded slowly, eyeing the mountain that was his friends' destination. "Why not go and help them?" Tetra asked with a grin, "I can hold the ship down easy enough!"

"How?" Waker asked dubiously. Tetra snorted and waved her hand at him.

"Oh, come on! I'm the freaking Princess Zelda! I'll just tell the Sages to lend me some magic and I'll use it to keep the _Regalion_ from being bashed to bits by the wind!" she replied, "You go and help out the landlubbers before those twins throw up all over Death Mountain!" Waker grinned at her and nodded, stepping back as Tetra raised her arms up to the sky. "Sages of the Past and Present! Lend me your strength! Protect my ship and men until the storm's curse has passed and the Hero of Winds and Time has emerged victorious once more!" she cried out.

A bolt of golden lightning struck down from the sky and hit her. Waker cried out in shock, then looked stunned as Tetra was transformed again into Princess Zelda, glowing with the golden power of the Triforce of Wisdom. She turned to smile at him as the same glow spread all over the ship.

"Zelda...." Waker murmured. The princess looked herself over and shrugged offhandedly.

"Eh, it works. So what the frick are you still standing there for? Quit gawking at me and go save the day or something!" she declared and then winked at him, "_And come back to me safely._" she added in Ancient Hylian. Waker smiled back and ran off, hurrying as fast as he could after his friends.

"Winds of Hyrule! Defend me from the storm!" he cried, waving the WindWaker to summon a protective bubble of wind around him. He raced onwards to Death Mountain.

  


  


**********

  


Wolfang Pass

Time: 1410 hours

  


Waker raced to the bottom of Death Mountain and looked up, wondering why it seemed clear and windless in a small area around the mountain. Releasing the winds that were surrounding him, he scanned the area in search of his friends. Shouldn't they be here by now? His run-ins with various small Peahats couldn't have delayed him that much? Could it?

"Hero, I wish you could tell me what's going on." he murmured and blinked when a flash of bright light went off near the corner of his eye. He turned to see what it was and heard shrieks, followed by a pair of heroes that had gone sailing over the cliff at the peak of Death Mountain. Waker stood motionless for a few moments, unable to grasp the idea that two of his friends were falling to their deaths. Finally, he jumped and yelped.

"Ack! What am I doing just standing here?!" he yelled and held up the WindWaker, conducting furiously, "Winds of Hyrule! Come to my aid once more, please! Surround my friends and bring them to me!" He lashed the wand and pointed at the plummeting elves, "There!"

  


Dark Link flailed helplessly as Allstar fell after him, arms outstretched to grab him. He finally caught up and snatched at the dark elf, hugging him.

"Got ya!" he declared in a joyful voice.

"You idiot! We're still falling! We're gonna die and you're happy about jumping off after me?! I told you to stay put!" Dark Link shrieked at him, "Now we're both gonna die! It could have just been me, but noooo! You had to go back into your stupid 'Hero Mode' again!"

"Yeah, but then what kind of brother would I be if I just let you fall by yourself?" Allstar pointed out and looked up as a bubble of wind surrounded them, "Oh, hey, Waker's here!" Dark Link squirmed and looked down at the base of Death Mountain, frowning as the bubble took them down to meet the young hero.

"Waker? What are you doing here? What about the ship?" he asked when they landed safely. Waker scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, Zelda's taking care of that! So, what's happening up there? Did you find the figurine?" he asked excitedly. Allstar sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, but Maverick said there wasn't any info available about it. We think the crystals it has are the weak spots, but when we hit one, it threw us off the mountain." he replied. Dark Link frowned and glared at him.

"What do you mean, 'threw us off'?" he snapped, "It threw me off! You jumped off after me!" Allstar shrugged.

"Same difference." he answered. Waker shook his head and sighed.

"Well, I'm here now, so I can help. Let's get back up the mountain and maybe I can help figure it out." he declared and summoned the wind to lift them up to the top of the mountain.

  


Elfin and Link were lying on their sides in front of the figurine when the three missing heroes arrived. Both looked battered. Maverick looked up from where he was, kneeling over Elfin, and watched the group land.

"Figures." he muttered and stood up, "These two tried to take on the crystals, one for one. Didn't turn out well." The twins ran up and knelt by the fallen heroes, worried.

"They aren't...?" Allstar murmured, unable to bring himself to finish his thought.

"No. But after that electric shock this thing gave them, they should be." Maverick replied and pressed his fingers against Link's neck, "This one's pulse is fairly strong. The other one is a bit weaker." He helped the twins drag the two heroes back from the figurine and watched them as they pondered the mess. "So, what brings you here, Waker?"

"Oh, Zelda's protecting the ship so I can come and help you guys. Did the SPC really have no information about this thing?" Waker replied, concerned about the situation. Maverick nodded and frowned. "Well, you tried to attack it at the same time, right?"

"Yeah, we hit the same crystal at the same time. What's the matter with that?" Dark Link replied. Waker studied the figurine.

"That's my Storm King's Bolero! Cheater!" he yelled at it and sighed, shrugging. "Okay, so then these guys tried attacking both crystals at the same time?" Maverick nodded. "How? What kind of attacks did they use?"

"The usual. Elfin shot at it while Link used the Gilded Sword." the captain replied and snapped his fingers, "They were struck by lightning and not a scratch appeared on this chess piece." Waker pursed his mouth as he eyed the figurine and its bobbing crystals.

"Hmm. Okay, I think I get it now. Look, it's following a rhythm, right?" he pointed out, "So it's all about rhythm. If you were to attack those crystal things without rhythm, it's gonna hit ya back." He grinned and looked back at the twins. "So, all you have to do is work together to attack the crystals, one to each, and move in a rhythm!" he declared. Allstar and Dark Link looked at each other in worry.

"In rhythm? You mean, in synch?" Allstar asked Waker as Maverick grinned and chuckled.

"Heh, he doesn't know about that little part of you two. That little programming flaw that Nintendo never bothered to deal with because you buried it yourselves." he murmured, "So, the time has come for you to reveal and exploit it."

"Mav, shut up." Allstar griped and put his hands behind his head, "Man, I don't want to Synch again! It was weird the first time we did it, right, Dark?" The dark elf mirrored his twin and sighed.

"Yeah, not to mention that for the whole time we _were_ Synched, neither of us had our own minds or personalities. We were a single mind and a single being split into two bodies." he added and pouted, "I don't want to have to do that again! A perfect synchronization? I'd rather marry Joanna Dark!"

"Here comes the bride, dressed not in white...." Maverick sang under his breath. Dark Link made a face.

"Ahhh! Knock it off!" he declared, "I don't wanna do it!" Elfin managed to wake up and sat upright, rubbing his head and listening in on the last part of the conversation.

"Oh, for the love of...it's the last freakin' figurine and you're chickenin' out already?!" he snapped, "Just do it and get it over with so we can figure out how to get home!" Allstar and Dark Link looked back at him in surprise as Link sat up and groaned, holding a hand to his head. The twins looked back at each other, still unsure.

"Should we?" Allstar Link murmured, "It's not quite the Super Link, but it's basically the same, right? And it _is_ the last one...." Dark Link took a deep breath, thought it over quickly and then let it out in a drawn out sigh.

"Okay.... Fine." he mumbled, "I'll do it." Waker smiled up at them brightly.

"Thanks! Is there anything you need to do to get properly 'synched' as you call it?" he asked. Dark Link pulled out his sword and sighed at his reflection.

"Yeah, a makeover. A perfect synch is exactly that. Perfect. I can't be different from my brother in anyway whatsoever." he replied softly and shut his eyes tightly as he reached back and grabbed his braid. Allstar watched him sadly while the dark elf sliced his hair neatly with the Mirror Sword. Link looked up at them in confusion as game actor tossed down the long braid of black hair. "There goes sixty dollars worth of hair care."

"It'll grow back." Maverick muttered, "Now for the hat." Dark Link blanched as he removed the circlet from around his head and set it down.

"Man! I hate that thing! What hero goes around wearing a dorky little hat like that?" he declared. Allstar cleared his throat loudly and jerked his thumb at himself and then made a sweeping gesture to include all the 'normal' Links, each of whom glared at Dark Link. The elf blinked back at them and shrugged. "Insane ones. It figures." he remarked and reached out to grab his brother's hat. "Lemme make a copy then." He melted into a shadowy spot on the ground, then reformed, holding two hats in his hands. He handed back the original green one, then pulled on the jet black replica. "Okay, I'm done. Ready for the synch?" he asked his twin.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Allstar muttered and held out his hands. The two put them together, palm to palm, and took deep breaths, closing their eyes.

"Master Control. This is Allstar Link, code ZN641-KF Level A." Allstar intoned.

"Master Control. This is Dark Allstar Dark Link, code ZN641-WT Level B." Dark Link added after him.

"Requesting the individual personas of Link and Dark Link to be suspended and perfect synchronization to be initiated. One mind to control two bodies until the final order is given." the twins recited in unison, "Master Code, ZAlpha19-96. Perfect Synchronization, initiate."

The heroes watched as a soft blue glow surrounded the twins, a slight wind rushing around them as static electricity crackled over their bodies, rustling their clothes and hair as the mysterious Perfect Synch went on.

"I wonder how they'll act when they snap out of it." Elfin murmured, leaning back against a boulder to rest. Link shrugged as he joined him.

"I don't know, but I hope that their power will be enough now to stop that thing. I really do miss my homeland." he mumbled and sighed tiredly, "I want to be done with the fighting and just live in peace."

"I think it's over now!" Waker suddenly cried as the winds rushed out from the twins and the glowing died away. Maverick stared down at the braid on the ground and collected the circlet, thinking about the Dark Link of his time and world. Allstar and Dark Link pulled away from each other and released their breaths in the same moment. "Allstar? Dark Link? Are you guys okay?" Waker asked, cocking his head in wonder. The twins turned together and looked at him, eyes dull and dark.

"I'm fine for now. The synch went through perfectly, but there is no Allstar or Dark Link now." they said in perfect harmony, "I disconnected the personalities that make each body different. It's one mind, so you have to call me by my synched name. Alpha."

"You sound strange." Elfin muttered, "The exact same voice speaking the exact same words at the exact same time." The twins turned their heads to look at him and grinned, perfectly synched.

"Of course! I'm the core program, the very essence of both Link and Dark Link for the Nintendo 64 games. I control both of their bodies when they ask me to suspend them. The real guys are on a sort of 'Pause' in the Master Control computer network. Like, a limbo of sorts." they replied brightly. They scratched their heads and sighed. "So, what's the trouble? What's so dire that the twins had to risk putting me in charge of them again?" they asked, raising one eyebrow each in a questioning manner. Waker pointed at the figurine.

"That! It keeps playing one of my songs and causing a storm! The way to stop it is to destroy those crystals, but they can only be damaged when attacked in perfect rhythm." he exclaimed.

"Yeah, we tried it out of synch. Got blasted damn good, too." Elfin put in with a laugh. The twins sighed and rolled their eyes.

"All right. I'll handle it. Let's see. They have both the Master Sword and the Mirror Sword, perfect. A few good hits a piece and this'll be done quick and clean." Alpha remarked as they walked up to the figurine. They bent over and studied the crystals carefully, then stood back, scratching at the tips of their noses. "Okay. This one's going to be a bit of a doozy. Let's see. It's playing the notes properly, so what if we reversed it and played it back? Striking the notes in reverse order on the crystals may shatter them." Alpha remarked.

"If you need help, here's how the rhythm goes." Waker told them and conducted the Storm King's Bolero with his finger. Alpha watched it closely and mirrored the rhythm with their fingers. "Yeah! That's it!" Alpha frowned and slowly conducted it backwards, repeating the movements several times until it could flow smoothly in reverse.

"Okay, I think I have it now." they murmured and returned to the figurine, pulling out the swords. Taking on a ready stance, they held the swords out behind them, motionless as they watched the crystals hum and bob up and down.

Elfin watched them with the others, waiting and wondering what was going to happen next. Link looked up and then bent his head, softly praying to the Goddesses as Waker chewed on his lip. Maverick held the circlet in his hands and gazed at the black jewel embedded in it.

"I remember Pichu told me about the last time Allstar and Dark Link synched. It was to defeat Master Hand and Crazy Hand to save my soul." he murmured and looked up at the twins. "They nearly lost their individuality. If they keep synching, or remain synched for too long, they'll lose their personalities for good."

Alpha watched as the crystals floated down before them for another note and suddenly lashed forward smoothly, bringing the swords down and then up in a sweep that struck the crystals. A note rang out, the end note of the Storm King's Bolero. The twins spun on their heels and swept again, ringing another note as the crystals floated up to change pitch. One elf to each crystal, they moved in rhythm. Every sweep of the sword, every turn to slash the crystals, was performed like an elegant dance. The figurine began to wobble, arms waving around out of rhythm.

"It's working!" Waker cried and yelped as Elfin reached out and grabbed him, clapping a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up! It's the timing! He's getting the timing to play the notes!" he hissed, "Don't screw it up!"

Alpha had their eyes closed, relying purely on the rhythm to move the twins' bodies. At last, the crystals simply shattered and the figurine flailed once more, then fell, lifeless. Alpha paused, then straightened, looking down at the doll.

"That's that, I suppose." he murmured and looked around, "Now, can someone tell me exactly where I am? And where everyone else came from?" They shook their hands and heads when the heroes began to answer. "Never mind. Something tells me it's a long story and I can't maintain the synch for too long. I'll release Allstar and Dark Link. Just get them back home soon, okay?" he amended and raised their arms. "Master Control! Code Alpha relenquishing command!" he cried and a blast of wind surrounded the twins as a bright flash erupted from them. Waker and the others covered their eyes and blinked when the light faded. Allstar and Dark Link were frowning, one scratching his head, the other with his arms akimbo.

"I never will get used to that." Allstar muttered as Dark Link chucked the hat over the cliff.

"And I still hate that hat!" he added and sighed, "Well, that's the last one. The storm clouds are disappearing. We've saved all the worlds."

"Now we can go home!" Link declared happily as Waker pulled out the IDG capsule and held it out.

"Okay, guys! As promised, here's the IDG capsule!" he exclaimed, "I sure hope it works for you!" The other heroes reached out to claim it.

The capsule suddenly flashed a deep pink color and a 'Q' shimmered over it. Before anyone could cry out, the IDG glowed brilliantly and swallowed them all in a burst of pink light.

All that remained on the ground was a blackened burn and the remnants of a long black braid....


	29. Step Into My Parlor

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Twenty-Six

  


  


??????

??????

Time: Unknown

  


  


Waker woke slowly and grimaced, holding a hand to his forehead. His head throbbed and his body felt like it weighed a ton. He struggled to get up and managed to sit up, looking around him groggily. The other Links were scattered around on the floor with him, he had been lying on his back the whole time, and they were in a new place.

"This...this isn't the Zero Dimension, or any of our worlds...." Waker murmured softly as he gazed up at the sky, a darkened stormy sky that only rumbled and rolled heavy black clouds. They were on a round platform that had a walk way stretching out as far as he could see. All around were tall structures like ancient ruins, pyramids and temples, more dungeons and caves than any Link could ever hope to explore in a single lifetime. Waker carefully stood and tested his legs, then walked around to each of his friends to wake them up.

Elfin lay face down nearby, his sunglasses broken beside his head. Upon being roused from unconsciousness, he immediately griped about the lack of coffee and stretched his limbs, then checked to be sure Glitter was still with him. "Damn, and those were my favorite glasses, too." he muttered about the shades.

Link lay on one side, slightly curled and sleeping peacefully. Waker shook his shoulder gently and sat back as the hero woke slowly. Blinking sleep and confusion away, Link sat up and looked around, stunned, then grimaced and put a hand to his head. Waker looked worried. "I'm okay. I just have a fairly horrendous headache." the Hero of Time muttered softly, "Where are we? I thought we'd at least return to Zero's home."

"I don't know." Waker murmured as he headed to the twins. Allstar also lay on his back, partially sprawled out. Half draped on top of him was his twin, curled protectively over him. Even knocked out, Dark Link's first instinct was to defend his twin brother, his arms lying limp across Allstar's chest and his face buried in the front of the green tunic. "Hey, guys. Wake up." Waker murmured again, shaking the both of them. The twins made faces and woke, struggling to get up.

"Dark Link, you're heavy, man. Get off." Allstar griped in a soft voice, helping him get to a sitting position. Dark Link nodded and just stayed on all fours, waiting for a dizzy spell to pass. Allstar looked around and frowned. "Where the hell are we?" he added. He blinked suddenly. "Wait! Where's Maverick?!"

The group looked around a bit and spotted him sprawled out on the walkway. Allstar cried in shock and ran up to him. Shaking his shoulders, he tried to rouse the elfin captain, but Maverick wouldn't wake up. Finally, the actor shed the shield and sword on his back and carefully pulled Maverick's body onto his back, swinging his arms and head down around his neck and supporting his legs by holding them up around his waist.

"Can one of you guys carry my stuff for me, please?" he called out as the others joined him after regaining some strength. Dark Link picked up the Mirror Shield and motioned to Waker to pick up the sword.

"I can't touch it. That's the Blade of Evil's Bane and programmed only to be handled by the Links. If anyone of the Dark Side touched it, we're instantly put in suspended animation and only the Golden Mascots or the Legendary Twins can pull us out of it." he explained as he hitched the shield on his back and took down his own, choosing to equip it on his right arm instead. Waker picked up the sword and gazed at it. Taking a cue from Maverick, he slung it back to align with his Hero's Sword and wore both together.

"So the IDG didn't take us to anyplace recognizable, I see." Elfin muttered and looked around, "Helloooo! Anyone here know where the frick we are?!"

"_Yeah! You're in the Quin Dimension!_" a voice boomed out from the heavens. The elves ducked in reaction and looked around for the source of the voice. "_You destroyed my figurines! I would have killed you for that, but they were boring me already._" the voice went on. "_But watching you guys was lots more interesting! And Zero wanted to send you all home again, bah! I have an idea for you instead!_"

The walkway shifted suddenly and rotated around the platform. The heroes managed to keep their footing as it lined up with one of the many hundreds of temples. When the shaking stopped, they looked at the doors to it. The entrance glowed a golden color.

"_This temple has a bunch of puzzles I've been putting together to correspond with what I've seen of your worlds. All you have to do is get through them. If you can reach me in the heart of the temple, I might decide to let you all go home, and with a present! But if you don't...._" the voice teased and lightning flashed. A group of elves just like them appeared before the doors, all wearing a golden ring around their necks and smiling brightly. "_Then you'll stay here with me forever and play with me for all eternity! My Rings of Binding will keep you here and happy forever and ever! I really hope you mess up, 'cause you look like you'd be tons of fun to play with!_" the voice finished, "_Well, enough of my jibber-jabber! Go in the temple and have a blast!_" The doors opened and the images faded.

"This dude scares me." Elfin muttered.

"What did he mean by us staying here and playing for eternity?" Link whispered to Dark Link, who only shrugged and looked just as confused.

"I dunno. Maybe he wants to make us his personal slaves or something? I'm actually kinda used to servant work. I was the personal servant to Master Bowser for the longest time before he named me his heir." he replied, "The whole servant thing was actually his way of teaching me wisdom and how the Dark Side worked in harmony with the Hero Side. I kinda liked it, I had errands to do in the Dark Lands and got to stand in on some interesting meetings."

"You know, that might be Quinta." Allstar muttered as he began walking to the temple. The other Links blinked and jogged up to catch up with him.

"You think? If he diverted the signals from the laptop and SPC, then maybe he messed up the signal on the capsule so it would take us here instead of to our proper homes!" Link exclaimed.

"So we don't have any choice but go through his tests?" Waker remarked and sighed, "I thought we didn't have to do any crazy puzzles. But I guess those figurines were just tests to see if we'd be 'fun' to play with here forever!"

"Mmmm." Maverick suddenly shifted and winced a bit. Allstar stopped and looked back at his charge, watching his face for signs of him waking up. But Maverick only relaxed again and drifted into deeper sleep. Allstar gave him a bit of a shake and sighed when he got no response.

"He probably knocked out Maverick, too. He's the most versatile in the group and the least likely to get killed by accident." he muttered, "I'm betting he would have given us big advantages in the puzzles."

"Maybe." Elfin muttered and looked determined, "But I have a family to go home to! So let's do this!" He yelled and raced into the temple, followed by the other Links, who cheered and whooped and accepted the challenge.

  


  


**********

  


  


Moblin's Keep

  


  


The Links looked around as they entered what looked like an underground dungeon full of stalactites and stalagmites. Unlit torches lined the walls and a circle on the floor sported the 'Q' symbol just for a moment, then faded. All around the circular indentation were switches. Link looked around warily.

"I don't like this. This is Moblin's Keep, or at least a perfect copy of it, but I don't recall this setup in the caves." he growled.

"Moblin's Keep?" Allstar asked in confusion as the others wandered around in search of a way out. Link nodded.

"Once I was taken prisoner in an underground cave system when searching for my stolen Gilded Sword. The leader of the Moblins who lived there, King Moblin, thought my hair was gold and kept me locked up in his vault with my sword and piles of other golden objects, coins, and rupees." he replied. "It took ages for me to get out, it seemed, because I had been shot with a deadly poison that the Moblins barely managed to purge out of me."

"Sounds like a deranged FanFic story." Dark Link muttered as he examined one of the switches, on one knee next to it.

"I think it is. Remember that Link we met in Center Mall that day we got Advance Link his Mario Golf game for Christmas?" Allstar remarked, "The one that looks constantly pissed off and flipped off any Zelda he met? I think he mentioned a story scenario about Moblin Keep."

"Oh yeah." Dark Link murmured, "Zelda dumped him for a prince after a week of screwing around and he ran off to marry Malon, cursing Zelda's name the whole way through."

Waker stepped on one of the switches carefully and blinked when a torch across the room lit up. He lifted his foot and the torch went out. Curious, he walked to another switch and stepped on it. A new torch lit up. He counted them. Five switches, five torches.

"Guys? I think I'm on to something!" Waker called out and waved his hands at the switches. "We have to step on the switches! Light the torches and see what happens!"

"We all die, that's what happens!" Allstar yelled, "Look at the switch you're on and the torch that lit up!" Waker blinked and took another look. The switches and torches were lined up so each torch faced a switch, but the switch Waker stood on didn't light the torch across from him. It lit up the first torch. Waker was standing on the third switch. He jumped back and looked startled.

"What kind of puzzle is this?" he yelped. Elfin got up and stepped on the fourth switch, watching as it activated the third torch.

"It's a messed up one, that's what." he muttered, "I bet that you have to step on the switches in the right order to light up the torches in the right order. See, they're numbered. The switch I hit lit torch number three." He stepped off the switch and the torch went out, "But we have to stay on the switches for all the torches to turn on." Dark Link stepped on the first switch and nodded as the fourth torch lit up. He went over and stepped on the fifth switch, and the second torch turned on.

"Okay, I see it now. Everyone get to a switch and I'll tell you when to step on and who goes in order!" he declared and stayed put. The Links all lined up and waited. "Okay, Waker, you're at the third switch. Get on."

Waker jumped on and watched the first torch light up. Allstar blinked and glanced back at Maverick. The little elf still slept on, completely oblivious to what was happening around him. Dark Link took a deep breath and stepped on his switch. The second torch lit up.

"Okay, now. Elfin, you're next. Press the fourth switch." Dark Link said quietly. Elfin nodded and stepped on. The third torch lit up. "Bro, you're the first switch. Go."

"If we die, you're not getting my stereo." Allstar growled and stepped on, closing his eyes tightly. The fourth torch lit up. The group swallowed collectively and held their breaths as Link silently stepped forward onto the second switch. The last torch lit up and the circular indentation began to spin and glow.

"_Level One clear. Access granted to Level Two._" a mysterious voice intoned. The heroes breathed in relief and smiled at each other.

"Way to go, Dark Link!" Elfin cheered. Dark Link shook his head and pat Waker on the shoulder.

"This guy deserves some credit too! He found out about the switches and torches!" he laughed.

"Maverick, you okay? You awake yet?" Allstar asked the little elf. Maverick shifted again and murmured something under his breath before nuzzling his cheek into Allstar's neck and drifting off again. "Quinta, whatever you did to Maverick, you're not getting away with it!" he hissed up at the ceiling. Waker hopped into the circle and studied it.

"I think this will take us to the next level!" he declared, pointing at the glowing ring. The other Links walked into it and grinned.

"I think Sega tried to do that and ended up getting messed up." Dark Link joked and the group laughed to get rid of some of their tension as the glow enveloped them and transported them to the next part of the temple.


	30. And A Hero Falls

The Day the Universes Collided

  


Chapter Twenty-Seven

  


  


Gallera Police Academy

Training Center

  


  


The Links blinked as the light beamed them down in front of a gauntlet of some kind. The room looked modern and sterile. Elfin frowned and scratched the tip of his nose.

"This brings back memories." he murmured, "This is the police academy's training gauntlet." He pointed at each test. "That's the 100 yard dash followed by the rope net climb and the rope bridge crossing. Then there's the swing over the pool of water and the tire run. After that is the last hundred yard dash to the finish line."

"You're torturing people with this?" Link asked incredulously. Elfin grinned.

"Torture?! Hell, this was fun for me! I even set the record of two minutes fifteen seconds for the run back home!" he declared. Allstar pouted and narrowed his eyes at him. Nintendo Training Facility had a similar setup; his best time was three minutes flat.

"Brag all you want but that's not gonna help us out here!" he said loudly, tossing his head aside in disdain, "We have to solve the puzzle of this room and get to the next level!" Waker walked forward and sighed. Taking a few deep breaths, he gazed out at the room and waited. The other Links watched him, curious to see what he was up to now. Waker let his mind drift and, sure enough, his eyes wandered up to a large board that sported a timer on it.

"Uh, guys? I think I know what this one's about!" he cried and pointed at it. The group looked up and gaped at the time. Two minutes...even. "We have to run through all this in two minutes!"

"Oh, crap." Elfin groaned. Allstar looked at Dark Link, who stared at him, white-faced. The dark elf knew of Allstar's best time and also that he couldn't run the course with Maverick on his back.

"Brother...." Dark Link murmured, but Allstar shook his head quickly. "Link, I don't want to lose you. What can we do?!"

"Pray, and hope somebody can hear us, because I'm not leaving Maverick behind!" Allstar growled and stepped to the starting line. "Okay, Quinta! Start it up!"

A light shone next to the time and a buzzer sounded. Allstar sprinted forward and dashed to the rope net. Dark Link shut his eyes tightly and began murmuring prayers to the Twins from their world as the other Links cheered him on. Maverick's weight seemed lighter to Allstar as he reached the net.

"Can't climb it! Have...to...jump!" he panted and leaped up as high as he could. Waker yelped in shock as he watched the actor skip the net entirely and land on top of the wooden construct that served as the starting point of the rope bridge. The heroes roared and cheered even louder as Allstar carefully walked across the single rope to the other side and scampered down the slope on the other construct.

"The swing! How's he gonna do that with Maverick?!" Link cried to Elfin. The cop pointed at the frantic star.

"Like that." he replied simply. Link turned and gaped as Allstar quickly shifted Maverick around to his side, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other stretched out to grab the rope. "Nice save!" Elfin called out and clapped as Allstar swung across the pool and headed to the tires.

"He's down to the last forty-five seconds!" Waker exclaimed and covered his face. "I can't watch!" He peeked his eyes through his fingers, though, unable to stop himself from knowing if his friend won or not.

Now holding Maverick in his arms, Allstar charged on, running nimbly through the tires and then dashing full tilt down the straightaway.

"Ten seconds!" Waker cried and screamed as Allstar dove across the line, shoulder first. Tumbling and rolling, he clutched the tiny body close to his to protect it and gasped, coughing and choking. Dark Link stopped praying and dropped to all fours, shaking.

"Liiiink!" he cried, "You did it!!!" The other elves cheered loudly and waved their arms, jumping joyfully as the timer reset back to two minutes. Allstar only hugged the little elf he held and tried to pace his breathing. His entire body was screaming in pain, it had been almost two years since he had last pushed himself to any limit, whether at the training facility or in the Smash Brothers Tournaments. He had gotten too soft and comfortable with life.

"Oooh man, that's gotta hurt." Elfin remarked with a grin, then pushed Waker forward, "Okay, your turn!" Waker shrieked and jumped back from the starting line.

"Me?! Why me?! Why not you, Mr. Record Setter?!" he yelled as Dark Link ran up to the line himself.

"Quinta! Next!" he cried and the buzzer sounded as a second light came on. He dove to the ground, melting into a shadow in the same moment. As a black spot on the floor, he sped across the hundred yards in a flash and slid up the net. Zipping across the shadow of the rope bridge and down the slope, he popped out of shadow mode to swing across the water and run the tire portion of the obstacle course.

"He's making good time. Almost thirty seconds to clear that chunk of the course." Link remarked in surprise. Elfin frowned and folded his arms on his chest.

"He's got that shadow power to help him. The little cheat." he muttered as Dark Link shot down the last of the stretch and knelt next to his twin, lifting his head and bending over him. "Okay, Waker. Now you." The young hero gulped and walked up to the starting line as the timer reset for the third time.

"All right! I can do this!" he muttered and blinked. Looking around, he seemed to sense something. On a hunch, Waker licked a finger and held it up above him. He grinned almost ferociously as he felt a faint cool breeze pass over the wet fingertip. "Perfect!" Whipping out the Wind Waker, the Hero of Winds and Time conducted the wind, increasing its strength and bringing it back behind him. "Wind of the Training Ground! Push me to the finish!" he declared, "I need your help to pass this test!"

With the wind coiled behind him, Waker dashed forward as the buzzer sounded, the third light shining bright. The two remaining heroes watched as the wind shoved Waker along, increasing his speed as he made his way to the net. Scrambling up it, the elf carefully walked across the tightrope and rolled down the slope.

"Yeah! That's the way! Go, little man, go!" Elfin hooted as Link cheered along, jumping and pumping his fists into the air. Waker leaped out and grabbed the rope swing, sailing expertly over the pools of water and landing right at the beginning of the tire run. Running as nimbly through it as he could with the wind shoving ever harder on him, Waker zipped through and charged down the last stretch.

"Hurry! Thirty seconds left on the clock!" Link called out and howled for joy as Waker fell across the finish line, tumbling his way to a stop with only ten seconds left on the timer. Elfin leaped up and thrust a fist into the air.

"Yeeeeaaah!" he roared and clapped proudly as Waker sent the wind away and rubbed his head sheepishly. Dark Link blinked at him and smiled, the smile growing wider as Allstar resumed normal breaths and sat up, cradling Maverick in his arms still. "Right! Well then, my turn!" Elfin declared and cracked his knuckles. He strode up to the starting line and crouched in a runner's position, focusing intently at the stretch. The timer reset and the buzzer sounded, lighting up a fourth time. Elfin surged forward and Link watched him dash down the run, breathing in a pace and still focused on what was before him. Waker was jumping and cheering at the end of the run but Elfin took no notice.

"He's blocking everything out." Dark Link murmured as Allstar stood up, Maverick still in his arms. The young captain's head was draped back, hanging as limply as his free arm and legs.

"If we can all make it here under that time, we should get to the next level and be that much closer to facing off against Quinta!" Allstar whispered fiercely, "I'll make him pay for what he did to Maverick!"

Elfin reached the rope net with good time left and expertly climbed up it, then followed Waker's example of tightrope walking and rolling down the ramp. He swung across the pool and ran to the tire run.

"Each of us had something to help us run this course in under that time." Link murmured to himself, "Allstar had the determination to save Maverick. Dark Link had his shadow power to move faster than any of us. Waker used the wind to aide his speed and Elfin has past experience and focus. What do I have to help me?"

Elfin made it through the tires and raced down the last stretch, skidding to a halt after he made it across the finish line and puffing as the others cheered for him. He grinned, the looked up at the clock. He blinked in shock. Only five seconds were left! He had barely made it!

"Damn! Just a little off and I'd have been a goner! I think." he exclaimed, eyebrows raised in surprise. Waker laughed and called out to Link, hands around his mouth.

"You're the last one, Hero! Come on! Let's go!" he cried and waved a hand at him. Link smiled weakly and walked to the starting line. He sighed and crouched down like Elfin had done, watching the timer reset and murmuring a prayer to the Goddesses to guide him.

"Go." he whispered and the buzzer sounded. He took off, running as fast as he could down the stretch. Elfin immediately frowned and shook his head.

"Bad start. He's going to burn up his energy by the time he gets to the tires. Dammit, Link! Don't act rash! Pace yourself!" he shouted out the last bit of advice. The Hylian hero tried to pace his breathing and glanced up at the clock. So far, so good. He'd used up about twenty seconds of time. He reached the rope net and clambered up, clawing at hand-holds and glancing at the clock again. Another twenty seconds gone by. Link jogged over to the rope bridge and paused for a moment before starting to walk over it.

"What if I don't make it? What will happen to me? To the others?" he thought worriedly and nearly slipped off. The other Links gasped slightly.

"Concentrate! Don't lose focus!" Elfin yelled out.

"He keeps looking at the clock." Dark Link murmured, "See? He looked at it again! Link, don't look at the clock! It's just distracting you!" The elfin hero jogged down the slope after making it across the rope bridge and swung over the pools of water. He glanced up at the clock again and ended up landing in the pool.

"Stop looking at the timer!" Waker shouted, "Come on, Hero!" Link scrambled out of the pool and ran through the stretch of tires, huffing and puffing tiredly as the water from the pool added onto his weight. "You don't have much time left! Hurry!" Waker urged him, "Please!"

"He's not going to make it...." Elfin whispered in horror, looking up at the timer. "Only twenty seconds. He'll never make it!"

"Hero!" Waker screamed as Link raced down the final stretch. The Hero of Winds reached out to him with both arms, "Jump, Hero! Hurry!" Link looked at him, face pale and terrified. He reached out with one hand, stretched out towards him. Waker stretched out, their fingers mere inches away.

The timer hit zero at that moment.

"HEROOOOO!" Waker cried in anguish as a brilliant white light erupted from Link's body and he vanished without a trace, just blinked out of existence in a moment. "Noooooo!"

"Link!" Elfin yelled as a glowing circle appeared in the center of the training room. At the same time, another glowing light appeared before the stunned group. It formed a small figure, then dropped it onto the floor as laughter rang out around them.

"_Hee hee! One down! Five to go! Don't worry, you'll see him again, when you all fail alongside him!_" the mystery voice teased. Allstar ground his teeth as he continued to hold the unconscious Maverick in his arms. Dark Link walked forward and picked up the figure. He brought it back to the group. It was a plush doll made to look like Link, its solemn face looking up at the remaining heroes.

"_Level Two, cleared by five heroes. Access permitted to Level Three._" another voice remarked flatly. Dark Link gave the doll to Waker, who tucked it carefully into his Delivery Bag.

"He's going to pay." Allstar hissed as they headed for the glowing circle in sorrowful silence, "So help me Miyamoto, that creature **will** pay for this....!"


	31. Silence and Speech Neither Much Help

The Day the Universes Collided

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nintendo Ruins

Time: Unknown

What the hell is this?! Allstar raged as he glared at the wide area of broken concrete and burned metal. The heroes were still saddened by the loss of their companion and the dreary surroundings made it worse.

Does it matter? Hero's gone. We're as good as slaves. Waker mumbled and sat on a pile of stones. Elfin sighed and looked at him, then turned green and pointed a finger at him.

W-waker! Get off of that! he stammered, That's a gravestone! Waker jumped up and stumbled back away from it. Look what it says on that post-board. _'In loving memory of a great man who let us stay in a home and became our greatest figurehead.'_ Who could that be?

Take a look at this. There are toys and items scattered here. Dark Link remarked and picked up a soft plush mushroom. Hmm, I think I get the idea. Match the item with the headstone. If we match them all, we'll get access to the next level. Elfin counted the graves.

There are five tombstones. How many items are there? he asked. Dark Link counted them them out and frowned.

Seven. There are seven items. That must mean two of them are wrong and are there to make one of us fail this test. he replied, Allstar and I can tell you which item goes to which grave. For instance, that grave belongs to.... Dark Link suddenly went silent.

To who? Elfin asked. Dark Link tried to speak again and looked startled. His voice was gone!

It belongs to.... Allstar tried to fill in the blank, but his voice suddenly went silent as well. He blinked in surprise and looked at his twin. A few moments passed between them, but they looked as if they were still communicating somehow. Allstar nodded at last and sighed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He set Maverick down and began writing in the dirt at his feet. We can't tell you what item matches which grave. This is more of Quinta's dirty work. he wrote out.

Well, that bites. Elfin muttered. He knelt by the grave and thought hard, "So, it's a matter of guessing? Hmm, let's try eliminating items. That could make things easier for us." Waker took the mushroom from Dark Link.

"I'll go first and take out one choice!" he declared and placed it on the first grave before anyone could stop him. The grave merely glowed softly. They waited a few seconds, wary of the glow, but nothing happened.

"I guess that was a match." Elfin murmured and walked to the second gravestone. "Let's see. _'In honor of the woman with the strength of a man. May your spirit rise to the stars.'_" He looked to the twins for help. They thought together, watching each other, then brightened and motioned to the toys. Elfin sifted through the items and brought up a small spaceship of golden colors.

"Is that it?" Waker asked and the twins nodded eagerly. 

"Okay, Quinta! I'm making this choice for Maverick, since he's unable to choose for himself!" Elfin called out, then took a deep breath and placed the ship on the grave. It, too, glowed after a moment. "Okay, who's next?" he said in relief. Allstar slowly let his breath go and went to another grave.

"_'My name is my cry, I cry no more. I evolved past that during the battle against the four.'_" Waker read aloud. Allstar looked slightly perplexed, then snapped his fingers. He ran to the items left and snatched up a ball painted red and white. Placing it on the grave, he stood back and waited anxiously.

The grave glowed with a soft light. He had passed. Dark Link breathed easily and began to make his own attempt when Elfin held up a hand.

"Hold on. I want to give this a shot. It seems easy enough, but the riddles look like they get harder. I want to get through before I'm stuck with one so tough, you two guys can't help me." he told him and read the next sign aloud. "_'Here lies one of royal blood, her kingdom vast and wide. Beware, the one who seeks her out, or you'll find yourself lost in a dreamer's tide.'_" Elfin smiled brightly. "And here I thought it was gonna be tough!"

Dark Link looked to Allstar in confusion as the hero murmured the words again to himself, eyes distant in thought. They snapped to alertness and his face paled.

"Yeah, this is it!" Elfin remarked, picking up a pink high-heeled shoe. "That Princess from the games wore pink." Allstar started for him, waving his hands in warning, but the officer had already placed the item down. The grave suddenly sank into the ground. "Wh-what the hell?!" he cried, "But it's her shoe!"

"It's the wrong princess!" Allstar's voice suddenly returned, "Princess Daisy wears yellow! She's the princess of Sarasaland, Mario's Dreamland!"

"You should have said something earlieeeer!" Elfin shrieked as the vortex sucked him in and disappeared with a back-draft that threw the heroes away from it.

"Elfin!" Dark Link yelled and gasped at the new doll that materialized in midair, dropping before them. Waker walked up to it slowly and picked it up.

It was dressed like Link, but wore a small pair of sunglasses on its face and sported a tiny golden badge on the front of its tunic. Waker hugged it and sobbed.

"She got another one of us. Guys, we keep failing tests! We're all going to be slaves!" he cried. Allstar sighed and looked sternly at him.

"No, we are not!" he lectured, "Don't wimp out on us, Waker! Links don't lose! We'll find a way to get them back and stop Quinta from destroying our worlds!" He went back and picked up Maverick, holding the little elf close to him. "Dark Link, you're the last one. Please, don't choose wrong." he added, closing his eyes.

"Since Elfin failed and Waker passed already, Quinta must have decided to give us back our voices." the dark elf remarked, "My clue is this. _'I play to bring the light of life; I play to bring the light of...time....'_" The elves looked at him in shock. Dark Link choked and continued, horror making his voice catch in his throat. "_'I play to save the lands, human and not; I play to love, and live, and die.'_"

"Sick joke to pull on us. I never died when X Spirit destroyed our base...." Allstar whispered hatefully as Dark Link went to the pile of items and picked up a shining blue ocarina.

"Brother, please, I don't ever want to hear you use the Ocarina of Time to play a death song." he said softly, placing it on the grave and watching it light up.

_"Oh, that's so sad. Only one more came to play with me? You guys are starting to slip up. Better hurry through my puzzles, I'm starting to get bored again, and you know what happens when I get bored...."_ Quinta taunted as a circle of light appeared in the area.

_"Level Three, cleared by four heroes. Access permitted to Level Four."_ the second voice announced. The group entered the light as Waker tucked the doll into his Delivery Bag.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Center City Park

Planet of Powers

Time: Unknown

"Have you tried using the codes on him?" Dark Link asked as they stood in the park, surrounded by five cages. Within each cage was an Entity or set of Entities, all begging for them to hurry up and free them. Allstar blinked and looked at his brother, disregarding the voices for the moment.

"You mean, the shutdown codes? On Maverick?" he asked blankly.

"Yeah. If he still has all of the Nintendo Backup System in his head, he's got to have his old codes too." Dark Link answered, "Maybe that's why he hasn't woken up. Quinta triggered the codes in his head." Waker studied the cages warily as Allstar shrugged.

"I'll give it a shot." he murmured and looked down at his charge, "Maverick! _Mocimaf Atlantis!_" The little elf suddenly arced and gasped for air, struggling. "Whoa! Hold it! Maverick! It's me!" The captain stilled and looked around wildly for a few seconds, then finally calmed and put a hand to his head.

"Miyamoto, how long did it take for you morons to figure out what had happened to me?!" he snapped at Allstar and shook his head, "Ugh, never mind. Sorry. I'm just really pissed that we're not home yet." He was set down and took the time to take in the number of heroes. "What the hell? Three? Where the hell are the other two?!" he demanded to know.

"They failed Quinta's tests and are with him now." Waker said sadly, "This is going to make it harder for us to fight him in the end."

"Well, we'll figure out a strategy when we get there. In the meantime, what's up with this picture?" Allstar pointed out, waving his hand around at the cages. The group scanned the area quickly.

"There are two sets of Nintendo Twins, and the X Spirit is here at the same time as the X Twins." Dark Link noticed in shock, "It's a reverse of the last puzzle!"

"We have to release the right Entities. Obviously, Sega and Sony are each one of a kind. Waker, pick one to release." Maverick ordered. Waker nodded and walked up to the cage with Sony Song. After working the lock with a key that was set on the grass before it, he was able to open the door and set her free. The tall, graceful woman stepped out and vanished, an illusion to the group. Waker jumped back, armed raised defensively, but nothing appeared to take him away.

"You take the other one, Dark. I'll be fine." Allstar remarked, pushing his twin towards Sega Sprite's cage. He looked back at him worriedly. "Dude, I know the other Entities are mixed, but I can hold my own when it comes to buddying up with them. Remember, we had to find them ourselves when it came time to rebuild Nintendo in our world." the blonde elf pointed out, "So do it!"

"You better not fail." Dark Link mumbled as he opened the sprite's cage. She flitted out and vanished. "There, that leaves the two of you. Good luck, guys."

"Remember, this puzzle is modeled after my universe. The Entities to release are the ones that belong to it." Maverick told Allstar and headed for the Nintendo Twins, "I'll handle these sets. I know them far better. The X variant is obvious when you think about it."

"You took your sweet time getting here." the first Tendo griped as his sister went to the bars and smiled at him in joy. "Nin, get away from him. I still don't see why you like him so much. He ran away from his destiny, 'member?"

"Let me see your hands, Tendo." Maverick ordered. The boy raised and eyebrow, but lifted them both for his scrutiny. "Good." With that, Maverick went to the second set and opened its door, setting the other set of Nintendo Twins free.

"What?! How did you know that they were the fakes?! They sounded and acted just like the Twins from your universe!" Waker cried. Maverick stepped from the empty cage and grinned at him.

"Tendo wears a small silver ring around his right pinky finger. Sega had given it to him as a Christmas present and he's never been seen without it since." he remarked, "The first set didn't have Tendo wearing the ring." The group yelled suddenly as Allstar cried in anger.

"They tricked me!" he yelled as the vortex within the cage pulled him into it, "They told me they would attack the worlds in the strongest form they had! I thought they meant as X Spirit! I thought the X Twins were the weaker of the two forms!"

"Brother!" Dark Link yelled and grabbed his hand, forming a chain with the other elves as they pulled together.

"Dammit, Allstar! Of course not!" Maverick shouted, digging in his heels. Allstar was half-gone in the vortex, "The X Twins are actually stronger than X Spirit! They are opposites of the Nintendo Twins! They were weaker when they were united as a single Entity, and became two separate beings to become stronger!"

"Sucks to be me then! Dark Link! Keep going in my place!" Allstar called out with a laugh and let go of his twin's hand, vanishing into the light.

"NOOO!" Dark Link wailed in anguish as a third doll dropped before him, a medal hanging around the plush Link's neck, the Super Smash Brothers Tournament Champion's medal.

_"You guys don't get it, do you? You can't win against me! But keep playing anyway. This is getting fun!"_ Quinta went on with a laugh as the second voice announced their ability to progress.

"And then there were three." Waker murmured as he picked up the doll and gave it to the dark elf.

"That doesn't help." Maverick grumbled as he stepped into the open portal. Dark Link hugged the doll and followed, head bowed in grief.


	32. And Then There Was One

Ch 29

Forest Haven

The Great Sea

Time: Unknown

"What is this? I don't understand this puzzle." Maverick murmured as he looked over the side of the giant tree haven at the water far below them. Waker looked out at the island not far from where they stood, a single pillar that stood out of the ocean. Between them and that pillar were dozens of Peahats littering the air, spinning and eyeing them almost balefully, threatening certain doom if they tried to get past them.

"I think I get it." he remarked and pulled out his telescope, zooming in to look at the pillar, "Yeah, there's a target on that island there. My guess is that we have to get from here to there without getting knocked out by the Peahats." He studied the Peahats themselves. "They have numbers on them. Fives and tens."

Dark Link tucked the Allstar doll under his belt to one side and picked up one of three Deku Leaves piled nearby. He dragged it to show the two other elves.

"I think we use these to fly across. And we have to hit enough Peahats to equal that score there." he pointed out, showing them a billboard floating nearby that displayed a score of five hundred points. Maverick pulled out his gun and took aim.

"No problem." he muttered and fired once. The gun clicked. He blinked and fired again, only to hear it click again. "What the hell happened to my gun?!" The captain opened it up and raged, throwing it into the ocean. "My bullets! That stupid being took all the bullets out of my gun!" he fumed.

"Looks like we're doing it my way." Waker sighed and brought forth the WindWaker baton, summoning the wind with its requiem and sending it to blow towards the pillar. "Okay, everyone grab a leaf!"

In minutes, three elves were flying through the air, kicking and hitting Peahats with their feet and the leaves. Waker let out a happy cry with each Peahat painted with a ten that went down. Maverick kicked viciously at anything that came near him, still fuming over his disarmament. Dark Link lagged behind the two smaller elves, his heavier weight making it difficult to stay afloat. He was able to knock down more of the Peahats in a single leg swipe, but they caught on and hovered above him or below him. The ones above the elves began to inch down and bump at the leaves.

"Waah! They're gonna tear the Deku Leaves! If we fall in the water, we'll fail the test and lose!" Waker cried, flapping the leaf upwards often to knock away the approaching monsters. Maverick looked towards the pillar.

"We're almost to the target! Waker, you'll land first!" he called out and the wide-eyed elf gazed up at the scoreboard, "Don't lose focus! You're going to touch down on that pillar in a few moments!"

"We don't have enough points!" Waker cried again and kicked furiously at the air. "We can't land if we don't have enough points! We'll lose anyway! Help!" The scoreboard, despite all the kicking and lashing they had done, showed they had only a hundred points left to meet the requirements for passing the test. Dark Link gazed up at it, then looked at the two elves struggling to stay afloat and score more Peahat hits.

"I guess... the only way to win is... by sacrifice...." he murmured and sighed. He shouted out at the younger elves. "Waker! Maverick! Go on ahead! I'll score the last points you need!" The two heroes looked back over their shoulders at him in confusion. Dark Link smiled, feeling better about the turn of events. "Don't worry about me! I'm joining my brother! It's what I was going to do anyway when we beat Quinta, but this way is faster!""

"What are you up to, you insane dark elf?!" Maverick yelled, "Don't you dare do anything stupid!" Dark Link only smiled wider and cocked his head.

"Hey, I'd never do anything like that! Just helping you out the best I can! See you later, guys!" he declared and released the leaf in his hands, dropping down towards a large clump of Peahats that had drifted and gathered to escape the kicking.

"Dark Link!!! Nooo!" Waker wailed as the elf splayed himself out and slammed into the whole group of monsters, taking them all down with him as he hit the water and vanished in a burst of light.

"Dammit, I said don't do something stupid!" Maverick hissed as the score rang above the required five hundred hits to fivehundred and thirty.

_"Level Five, cleared by two heroes. Access granted to Quinta's Palace."_ the voice intoned as the two remaining elves landed on the pillar to find a pair of dolls that were left in the wake of Dark Link's fall. One was the Allstar doll that Dark Link had taken, the other a black and silver version of it, sans the medal. The two dolls looked happy as they were in a hug. Waker picked up the plushies and held them tightly, sobbing as the ring of light formed in the floor of the pillar. Maverick watched him, then sighed, softening at the sight. He knelt by Waker and gazed at the dolls.

"Waker, don't think of it as a loss. Think of it like the dolls show. Wherever they are, they're together again, as twin brothers should be." he told him quietly, "Now come on. We're the only ones left to make sure that they can go home together. Let's find and beat Quinta, then we can all go back to our worlds and our lives."

"Why did he have to do this to us? What did we ever do to deserve this?" Waker cried, rubbing at his eyes as he hugged the dolls.

"We're Links, heroes; it sort of comes with our titles." Maverick replied and pat his back, "Come on. Let's get this over with." The WindWaker nodded and stood, placing the hugging duo in his Delivery Bag. The two elves looked at the ring, took deep breaths, and stepped in.

~*~*~*~*~*

Quinta's Palace

Time: Unknown

The walls shone with ethereal light and were draped with pink and gold tapestries. Red carpets with golden tassels laid on the long corridors that stretched out around them. Waker and Maverick stood warily as they looked around. Up ahead of them were large golden doors inlaid with a silver Q that signified who waited for them behind the doors. The two heroes began to walk towards the doors, ignoring the paintings and candles hanging from the walls with the tapestries. The hall was deathly quiet as they reached the doorway and paused.

"I guess, this is it." Waker whispered and cautiously pushed the doors open. A brilliant light shone and then faded to reveal one last puzzle room and the final set of doors. "What?"

"Damn. I had a feeling this would happen." Maverick growled as he ran up to study the new puzzle. A switch was in the center of the room and a pedestal stood on either side of it, ready to accept a sword. Waker watched as Maverick stepped on the switch, but nothing happened.

"What do we do? It wants two swords placed there and someone to stand on the switch. It wants you to solve it." he murmured. Maverick shook his head.

"Either one of us can do it. You still have Allstar's Master Sword on your back. You never took it off." he pointed out and Waker looked back at it in surprise.

"That's right. I picked it up and wore it when Allstar was carrying you through the other rooms. So which one of us is going to solve the puzzle?" Waker asked.

_"Hee hee! This puzzle is different! I made it especially to keep too many people from facing me. If all of you had made it, there would be more puzzles here in this room."_ Quinta's voice taunted, _"One of you can open the door by activating the switch, but the one who does will be caught by my trap! So make a choice and decide who opens the door and who will face me!"_

"I hate this being the more I have to go through this crap." Maverick griped and stood back. "Waker, do you think you can take on Quinta?" The elf shook his head, eyes wide. "Why not?"

"Because I've never faced off against a god before! You have! You do it all the time!" Waker exclaimed. Maverick shook his head and frowned.

"The Entities are different. They are god-like but they can still die and be killed by mortal things. I have technology to help me, but you have magic and the wind to help you." he replied. "I think you'll be the better candidate to fight Quinta."

"But... how?" Waker whimpered. Maverick pulled forth the twin Master Swords and stepped onto the switch.

"It's a feeling I have. Waker, my heart is just starting to understand emotions again. I've been so cold and isolated for so long, I wouldn't know where to start now in figuring out subtle things." he remarked, "You've seen how I solve issues. I fight and shoot and stab and basically go on a killing spree. You have the ability to stop and think things through and use the wind and time to enhance it. You have a heart of gold and a lot of courage." Maverick smiled brightly at him, the first genuine smile of good nature he had given anyone in years. "I believe in you, Waker! You can stop Quinta and save all the worlds! So go on and be a hero for your world, my world, and the dimensions of all the Links that ever existed and will come to exist!" With that, he swung the swords around and plunged them in unison into the pedestals.

"Maverick!!" Waker cried as the doors flung themselves open and a bright white light engulfed the captain, swallowing him and the trap switch. A small doll dropped in his place, dressed in black armor and red cape with two little swords in its hands. Waker scooped it up and hugged it, sobbing softly. "I'm alone now. I'm all by myself. Maverick, why? Why did you think I could do anything now?"

_"I believe in you, Waker! We all do! Don't give up! You can do it!"_ the voice of Maverick seemed to echo into his mind and he stood up, studying the smiling doll.

"Quinta thinks he can break us by making us fall like this to his stupid tests. Well, I'm going to prove him wrong! I'll fight for you all, guys!" Waker declared and slid the doll into his bag, pulling the Master Sword, his Master Sword, from its scabbard and marching to the door. "I won't let your sacrifices be in vain! I'll make sure that we all go home to our rightful worlds and have peace!" he exclaimed and raced through the doorway, _"Here I come, Quinta!"_


	33. The Meeting of Quinta

A/N: Yeah, I'm taking forever on this, sorry, but I don't have my notes so I'm kinda making things up along the way, although this chapter was already planned in my head. Well, bear with me, I have fans foaming at the mouth for my Pokemon stuff. Oi!

* * *

Ch 30

> Outset Island
> 
> The Great Sea
> 
> Time: Unknown

Waker looked around in surprise at the sandy beaches of his home island. He had been prepared for a fight, sword and shield in hand, but this was the last place he was expecting for a battlefield. Cautious, he walked along the sandy beach towards his grandmother's house, wary of the grass and the water.

"Hoy, Link!" Aryll's voice called out, "It's about time you showed up! We're almost ready for the party!" Waker blinked and ran for the porch, startled to find his younger sister standing there with colorful ribbons in her hands. More ribbons decorated the house and trees. Tetra stood beside her, grinning as she clutched a wooden cup in her hand.

"Fashionably late or something? I was gonna get started without you, kid!" she remarked.

"What's the party for?" Waker asked as he was led into the house by his kid sister.

"You're so silly! This is a play party!" Aryll asked and smiled, "We're all gonna play games and have lots of fun! Look! Your friends are here too!"

Waker blinked in shock as he laid eyes on the other Links, all placed around the home and chatting gaily with the islanders. Allstar and Dark Link were showing off Player's Guides to some of the kids. Elfin talked with the mother to one of the children about parenting techniques. Maverick stood in a corner with the old man, meditating quietly as best they could amid the ruckus. Link demonstrated sword techniques with Orca, earning oohs and ahhs from the girls. Overjoyed by their return, Waker ran to Link first.

"You guys! How did you escape Quinta?" he asked eagerly. Link blinked at him and grinned.

"Oh, hey, Waker! Actually, I didn't escape." he replied brightly, "After being with Quinta for a while, I decided not to try to escape. It's actually not bad being a servant." Waker blinked back, stunned. He stepped back and ran to the twins.

"Allstar! Dark Link! Don't tell me that you...!" he began as they looked up from the board game on the floor and grinned.

"Gave in to Quinta? Well, yeah! It was more fun not fighting than fighting all the time." Allstar remarked, "It's less stress on the ol' body, y'know?" He looked at the board game and cocked his head. "Hey! How come I have to get the dog in Monopoly? I wanted the hat!"

"You always want that stupid hat." Dark Link sighed and smiled at Waker. "Why don't you join us, Waker? It's a lot more relaxing than constantly having to be the hero."

"But what about all the people back home? What about protecting the innocent and the weak and helpless?" Waker protested, confused by what was happening.

"The Nintendo Defense System can handle it. They just have to switch the energy source from Dark Link to the secondary Nintendo Power Core." Allstar answered, rolling the dice on his turn. "Sweet! Doubles!" Waker ran to Elfin, hoping for a clearer mind.

"Elfin! Please say that you're going to fight this and go home to Gallera!" he begged, large eyes filling with tears. The officer paused and looked down at him in wonder.

"Waker, what's the matter? Quinta has everything set up perfectly. We're going to be happy here, why not enjoy it?" he asked.

"What about your wife and kids?!" the Hero of Winds demanded.

"Eh, I never liked married life anyway." Elfin shrugged and brightened at the sight of Waker's grandmother bringing in a tray of cookies, "Cool! Hey, are those fudge?"

"This is insane!" Waker whispered and fled to Maverick, his last hope, "Why won't anyone fight Quinta?" The captain opened an eye and looked up at him.

"Why would we?" he asked, "Fighting won't solve anything." Waker dropped to his knees and stared up at him in disbelief.

"Not you too." he whispered. Maverick looked around the room and frowned.

"Fighting does nothing but make Quinta more irresistible. We should think about ourselves, our lives, before anything else." he went on and looked at Waker again. "So again, why fight?"

"Because we're the heroes of so many worlds! What good is the title 'hero' when we just give up like this to some stupid being?!" he snapped back, turning a baleful gaze around to the others, "How could you call yourselves heroes when you just lay down and surrender like this?!"

"Don't be so selfish!" Maverick suddenly shot at him. Waker looked up at him in shock. "Don't be a brat! Look around you! You'll see the truth of Quinta if you just look! Don't fight it! Don't fight Quinta! Fighting the truth of the being will only result in destruction!"

"Wh-what? You want me to give in to Quinta, too?!" Waker cried, startled by the words. Maverick growled and reached out, slapping him over the head.

"You idiot! You selfish, spoiled child! You have no idea what you have and could have if you'd stop being so bad! Think about what you're doing and stop it! Then you can have what you want!" he snapped at him. Waker sniffled, rubbing at his head where he had been hit.

"Maverick...." he whimpered, "I wasn't being selfish, I just want us all to be home and with our family and friends."

"And what do you think Quinta wants?" the captain asked darkly, glaring at him. Waker blinked and tried to ask about that, but Maverick shut his eyes and wouldn't respond, lost in his trance.

"What does Quinta have to do with what I want?" he murmured and stood up, looking around at the party-goers. Tetra ran up to grab his arm and tug him to the table.

"Come on, Link! You're missing out on the food and games!" she laughed and headed off to grab a doll. "Aryll! Here it is! Catch!" The pirate girl tossed the doll off to Aryll, who caught it and cuddled it happily.

"Yay! Dolly! My dolly! Now I can finish the game!" she exclaimed. "I have my brother and I can play all day with him! Link! Won't you play with me?" Waker stood in the room, confused by everything.

"I wanted to be with my family and friends again. I want to go home and be with them." he murmured and closed his eyes, the room beginning to spin around him. "I want to be with my family! Not here! Not by myself!"

Maverick's words began to repeat in his mind, the scolding sound growing to be more like his own voice. _Don't be so selfish!_

"I want to be with my family!" Waker yelled louder, and thought he caught an echo in his words. Another voice was mimicking his words, with the same heartfelt emotion he had. "I want to be with my family! I want to play with them!" he went on and the voice grew louder. He opened his eyes and glared out before him, focused purely on the voice and ignoring everything around him. The Links continued to play and laugh, the room spun faster and he was beginning to understand what Maverick was saying.

The captain had kept part of himself aware somehow and had given him something more helpful than any weapon.

"I want to be home with my family!" Waker yelled again. The voice echoed his words and he tried to place it. It sounded strange, yet familiar. Where had he heard it before? And who was it? "I want to be with my family!"

_"I want to play with you! I want to be with my family and play with them! Play with me! Play with me!"_

"It's you!" Waker yelled and drew his sword in a flash, "Quinta! I've found you!" He pointed the sword at Aryll, glaring at her in barely suppressed fury, "Quinta! Let's end this!"

Aryll looked at him coldly, the Waker doll clutched tightly in one fist as the five colorful ribbons twined around her arms, fluttering in the energy that emanated from her body. The room and partygoers vanished and the Links dropped to the ground, unconscious. All around Waker and Aryll was an inky darkness speckled with countless tiny stars, the whole expanse so full of this emptiness as to swallow the floor, walls and ceiling. It was as if they floated on stardust.

_"How dare you ruin my play party."_ Aryll hissed, the flowery print dress transforming on her body into a beautiful white gown adorned with five large gems and golden trim. Her hair flowed around her shoulders, the Waker doll held fast in her hand. _"Do you think to slay a being of immeasurable power with a pathetic sword?"_ She stood there, so much a goddess in the realm that it seemed to Waker that she only had to think of his death and he would receive it. He refused to back down.

"This is the sword of evil's bane. It will utterly destroy the darkest of hearts." he growled, "Quinta! What I am about to do is for the good of everyone in all dimensions!" He swung the sword to his side and raced up to her, unleashing a rebel yell as he prepared for the blow.

_"You will be destroyed and I shall have what should be mine!"_ Quinta screamed her furious threat, _"Just try to attack me! You'll fail like all the others!"_ Waker loomed closer and her eyes flashed with energy, her power gathering within her for the blow. _"Prepare for the end of this!"_

"Hyaaaaah!" the Hero of Winds yelled and brought his hand around for the strike.

* * *

The blow echoed throughout the vast space, so loud and sharp and final that the stars winced, their light flickering every so slightly.

Quinta looked shocked as Waker stepped back and put his fist on his hip, the Master Sword resting by his side. She had been expecting the blow from the legendary blade, not a slap to the face. Gingerly, she touched her fingertips to the red mark on her cheek and winced at the painful throb.

"Don't be such a selfish, spoiled brat! Think about what you're doing and stop it!" Waker scolded, "You don't have to go around and mess with other worlds and other people just to have a playmate! That's bad! That makes people **not** want to be your friends!" Quinta blinked in surprise. "I know you want to be with your family, but that can't always be so! Things happen, life interferes, the needs of others might come first." Waker went on and softened. "If you had wanted a friend, you could have just asked. No Link I know would pass up a person in need of a friend."

Quinta shimmered before him, her soft sobbing the only other sound in the strange universe. When the light faded, there was only a small child standing before him, rubbing at one eye and clutching the arm of the Waker doll in her free hand.

_"I just wanted to play with my brother....!"_ she whimpered, _"But he says he's always so busy having to watch over you and make sure you guys were doing good and he never has time for me!"_ Waker blinked and looked surprised, Quinta resembled a very young Aryll from his world! Her words finally struck home as the other Links began to stir and get up.

"Ow, what the hell just happened here?" Elfin grumbled, rubbing his head as he sat up and looked around groggily.

"Mario? What's going on?" Allstar asked with a bleary expression as Dark Link pulled him upright. Maverick sat up and smiled at Waker.

"I knew you could do it. You understand how a younger sibling thinks and feels and reacts." he remarked as another light bloomed into the space.

The form of Zero Damagaus formed within and stepped out to join them, looking somewhat embarrassed as he rubbed Quinta on the head.

_"Sorry about that, fellas. My sister tends to throw the oddest tantrums."_ he apologized. The Links stared at him, jaws dropped open.

"Quinta's your **_sister_**?! And you never told us?!" they shrieked at him. The Watcher shrugged.

_"You never asked. Anyway, I hadn't known that this was the reason why she decided to interfere with your worlds."_ he replied and looked down at the girl with a gentle and confused look. _"Quinta, why didn't you say anything to me?"_

_"You always said I was a pest and wanted me to go play somewhere else 'cause you were busy! I was sick of it!"_ Quinta yelled, the cute little dress now decorated with five tiny gems and a gold apron. _"You never wanted to play with me!"_

_"I'm sorry about that. Maybe we can play together later tonight. All the Links seem to be doing just fine, except for these guys."_ Zero remarked, _"I could take another break and we can go play anything you want."_

_"You mean it?"_ Quinta asked softly, looking up at him with distrust. Zero nodded. _"And you'll play with me more? Like when I ask?"_

_"Not always, but I'll try my best to be there for you. After all, I'm a Watcher. I have to watch these guys." _he replied and grinned, rubbing her head again. _"Now why don't you lift that power block off of my Instant Dimensional Gap capsule so they can go home?"_ Quinta put her finger to her mouth and rolled her eyes.

_"But they were tons of fun... they got through my puzzles and everything...."_ she murmured and sighed as she recalled Waker's scolding, _"Okay."_ She waved her hand at them. _"You can go home."_

"That's it? That was all? She was the being of power that screwed us all up?" Allstar remarked incredulously once his mind cleared, "Geez! I was expecting something big!"

"This isn't a video game, bro." Dark Link sighed. Waker brought out the capsule and looked down at Quinta with a smile.

"Thank you very much. And if it helps, I will be your friend." The girl blinked up at him and laughed, waving her hand.

_"Yay! Thanks! Will all of you be my friends?"_ she asked eagerly.

"Why not? You act like my kids, it won't be any different. I know some games we could play if you ever drop by my place." Elfin remarked with a grin. Link nodded.

"I have plenty of wooden toys I make in Kokiri Forest, and I know Mido and the gang wouldn't mind a friend of mine being there for the plays and festivals!" he added.

"I'll show you the stars of my home universe and the Entities will make you feel at home. They are children with great power as well." Maverick murmured with a smile and wink.

"Are we paid by the hour?" Allstar asked and ducked Dark Link's swipe, "Just kidding! Hey, yeah, come on over whenever you wanna play! There's tons to do at Nintendo!"

"The Dark Side is equally as fun, long as you don't mind the Bob-ombs have their fireworks contest at random times and places! Ha ha!" Dark Link threw in, laughing. Quinta nodded and waved again as Waker lifted the capsule into the air.

_"Each of you will return to your own world and the capsule will remain here, so this will be the last time you are together." _Zero warned them. Waker brought the item down hurriedly and pulled the second Master Sword from his back, handing it to Allstar Link.

"I forgot to give this back. Sorry." he apologized bashfully. Allstar took it back and replaced it in the sheath.

"Eh, that's okay. I have a dozen more like it back home in the closet." he replied and smiled, rubbing his head. "Well, guys, it's been fun working with you all."

"It was a remarkable adventure, wasn't it?" Link asked, eyes bright with the hope of going home and the excitement of having done so much good with so many other versions of himself. "I wish there was a way we could keep touch!"

"I doubt it. We'd probably end up cross-contaminating each other and learning things we shouldn't." Elfin replied and smiled as Glitter fluttered around his head, chattering wildly, "Like how to understand this bug of mine. Glitter! Stop babbling!"

"Maybe it's time I talked to the new Allstar and Dark Link of my world." Maverick murmured, "I have a lot to catch up on and a lot to relearn."

"Well, goodbye to you all then. And may the Goddesses be with you!" Waker declared as Link echoed his words.

"Godspeed!" Elfin added, "Good luck in all you do!"

"May you all be blessed with the luck of heaven!" Allstar and Dark Link chimed in unison and laughed.

"Until we meet again in the strands of time and space." Maverick remarked with a cool smile. Waker lifted the capsule and it flash a brilliant light, the group of heroes vanishing for the last time. Zero smiled and rubbed his sister's head again.

_"So where should we play first?"_ he asked as they walked to a mystical portal. _"I heard the show at the beginning of the Universe of the First Dimension has some cool fireworks...."_


End file.
